I Hate You But I Love You
by mooney-996
Summary: Natsu and Gray have been friends for many years until something major forces them apart. Many years on, the past has brought the two back together to sort out their mistakes once and for all! NatsuXGray, a little bit of NatsuXSting. Rated M for lemon in future chapters ;)
1. Chapter 1

_"Come on Gray-chan! Let's go!" I shouted out grabbing the hand of a small dark haired boy and running towards a tree_

 _"Where are we going!" He shouts back to me trying to keep up._

 _I grin broadly showing off my newly pointed teeth. "I have something really cool to show you!"_

 _We arrived at our usual hang out spot by the river. We stood underneath the oak tree that sat next to the river. I let go of Gray-chan's hand and twirled my hands together nervously._

 _"What's up Natsu-chan?" He asks almost nervously._

 _"I….I have something to tell you, it's really cool but I don't want you to freak out so… promise you wont?" I ask nervously._

 _Gray-chan smiles at me. "You're my best friend. Nothing you say ever freaks me out."_

 _"Tsk." I say looking away sharply. "Anyway. Remember how sometimes when we are outside playing, there are these really weird things happening like the fire in the basement at mine?"_

 _Gray-chan nods with a glaze over his eyes. I could tell that he was remembering that day. We were in the basement of my house playing hide and seek. I was getting angry that I couldn't find Gray-chan at the time and this fire had randomly appeared out of no where. Luckily my Dad rescued us and he put the fire almost instantly!_

 _Eventually Gray-chan nodded._

 _"Well…." I say putting my hand out palm up for him to see and with one little thought it was suddenly on fire! Gray-chan moved back for a second in shock but then looked back at me._

 _"That is so cool!" He said as his eyes widened in amazement. "How can you do that?"_

 _"Dad told me that I am a fire dragonslayer! How cool is that! It's a weird type of magic in me that is rare"_

 _"Does that mean you get to slay dragons?" Gray-chan asked._

 _I nodded. "Yup. I am the almighty dragonslayer Natsu Dragneel!" I say laughing and puling a pose like a knight swinging with a sword._

 _"Do you think I could have magic like that in me?" Gray-chan wondered._

 _"You could do. You just haven't woken up your magic yet!" I say hopefully._

 _Gray-chan looks back at me hopefully. "I hope I do Natsu-chan! Then we can go to Fairy Tail school together and become famous mages!"_

 _"Natsu-chan! Natsu-chan!" A voice shouts out behind me. It's been three weeks since my magic appeared and Gray-chan's 9th birthday was today._

 _"Hey Gray-chan!" He looks at me excitedly._

 _"Guess what! I have my magic!" I look back at him with amazement! "Cool! What did you get?"_

 _He put a close hand onto of an opened one and a cold mist swirled around his hand. To me as a fire dragonslayer, I did not like the cold so I folded my arms over to warm myself up. He removes his hand to reveal an iced version of our oak tree._

 _"I'm an ice make mage! I can make anything out of ice that I want!" He beams "I'm like Lyon-Ni-chan but I can't make the ice move like he can yet. How cool is that!"_

 _I beam and hug him! "That is so cool! That only means one thing!"_

 _Gray-chan beams at me! "We're going to Fairy Tail together!" We both shout and hug each other again._

 _"Promise me that Natsu-chan we will always be friends" Gray-chan says timidly._

 _"We will be best mates forever!" I shout out making Gray-chan smile._

 _"Promise?" Gray-chan asks._

 _I nod. "Definitely. I will be even take a friendship oath with you to prove it!"_

 _"Cool! How do you do that?" Gray-chan asked_

 _"According to this book I read, if we share a bit of each other's blood then we will be inseperatable for life! That we will be mates for life!" I beamed. "There was another bit that goes afterwards though that sounds really gross so I'm not gonna do that"_

 _"What's that?"_

 _"I need to bite into your neck and lick the blood there meaning that we are both marked as 'mates for life' but I don't want to do that!"_

 _Gray-chan made a face. "Urgh. I don't want you to bite into me. That will hurt! Let's just do the blood thing._

 _I nod and go to find a sharp rock. We eventually find one and we both stand under the oak tree that we have spent years playing around._

 _We both stood there with a the sharp rock in my hand. "Now what do we do?" Gray-chan asked._

 _I close my eyes to try and remember what to do._

 _"We need to cut our hands and hold hands so that the blood mixes together and… we make our promises!" I say happy that I remember most of the passages. I can't remember what the wording for the promise was but I'm sure that doesn't matter as long as it is close._

 _Gray nods and takes the rock from me once I have made the cut of my hand. With a wince he cuts his hand and holds my bloody hand mixing our blood together._

 _"Doesn't this seen kind of weird" Gray-chan asks_

 _"A little, but it means that we are friends for life!" I said "Okay. I'll go first. I Natsu Dragneel promise you Gray Fullbuster to be mates with you forever!"_

 _Gray smiled and said after me "I Gray Fullbuster promise you Natsu Dragneel to be mates with you forever!"_

 _Suddenly a bright white light appeared around us and it looked like my fire magic and Gray-chan's ice magic were mixing together in the air. The light was so bright that I had to close my eyes!_

 _"Natsu! Gray! No! What are you two doing!" I heard my Dad screaming and running towards us. He looked really scared and it threw me off my focus causing the bright light around us to explode, sending us both flying._

After that everything went dark.

I sat up in bed sweating and panting. I brought my knees to my head and wrapped my arms around them trying to control my breathing. That was the third time this week that I have had this dream. No not dream - memory. But that was almost 10 years ago! Gray and I are both 18 now! Why is it cropping up now?

I lie back down in bed and remember what happened the rest of that night.

I had woken up to Gray's Dad and my Dad shouting at each other downstairs. I turned my head to look at where I was. I was in my bedroom with Gray next to me in my bed.

Gray hadn't woken up yet so I nudged him to wake him up. We decided to sneak out to the landing to get a better listen at what they were saying. I can remember the conversation well even to this day.

 _"This is your fault Igneel! You should not have given Natsu that book otherwise none of this would have happened!"_ We heard Gray's Dad shout

 _"How else was he suppose to learn about the history of his magic Silver! I didn't think that he would get that far yet and I don't think they both even realised the repercussions of this spell that they have done, let alone try it out!"_ My dad shouted

 _"They don't have a choice now! They are stuck together for life!"_ I remembered that we both smiled at that and high fived each other and giggled. We didn't see why what we did was so wrong. To this day I don't think that we fully understand why.

 _"I know one way to stop this!"_ Gray's Dad shouted. I remembered him running up the stairs, seeing us both together and looked at us with disgust.

 _"Say goodbye Gray. We're going home."_ Gray looked at him with confusion and hugged me goodbye.

That would be last time I spoke to him for many years.

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Look who is finally back! I'm sorry it took so long to put something new out but this is "I Hate You But I Love You"! This is the first chapter of many that I am slowly writing. I am looking at putting a new chapter out every week until I have run out (I have not finished the story yet) so I will try and get it all finished for you asap. I have loads of other stories in the pipeline but this is the one I want to focus on the most at the moment.

Thank you all so much for reading this! Hopefully most of you worked out that it was in Natsu's POV. Most of this story will be in his POV. If it changes then I will say so. Either way, please comment and let me know what you think!

Until next time!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 is here! Warning there will be swearing throughout this story!

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"Nii-chan! Nii-chan! Wake up!" I groan as I roll over in bed dragging the covers over with me.

"Nii-chan! It's 7.30, You're going to be late for school!"

"Shit!" I shout out throwing the covers off my bed making my little sister scream. "Wendy! Why didn't you tell me sooner!"

The small long blue haired girl next to me panted while holding a hand to her chest. "I did try Nii-chan but you kept falling back to sleep!"

"Okay Wendy! I'm up! I'm up!"

Ten minutes later I was running out the door with a bit of toast that I have nicked from my Mum's plate and was running to school. I can not be late today! I will be killed if I am late!

I manage to make it to the school gates just in time for the last bell to ring. That gave me 2 minutes to get to my first class which was on the other side of the school. There was no way that I was going to make it in time.

"Mr Dragneel. Glad to see you grace us with your presence at last" Mr Clive groaned to me as I finally ran to my seat.

"Whatever" I grumble under my breath.

"Anyway. Turn your pages to chapter 3, and someone wake me up when you have read it all" He said taking the seat behind his desk, leaning back in his chair and started to snore. I decided to take the teacher's example and lay my head down to sleep for the rest of the lesson.

Eventually we were let out to make our way to the next lesson. As I left the classroom I felt someone lay their hands on my shoulders.

"Hey Natsu" I turn my head to see my best friend Lucy. "Why did we have to attend this class when the teacher didn't give a shit and constantly falls asleep?" She moaned.

I just shrug. I don't particularly care to be honest about school. I used to always want to go to Fairy Tail High because it was my dream school and it meant that I was a fully fledged mage. The only reason why I go here now is because I have to… plus the classes on magic use are pretty cool. It is a known thing that if you are destined to use magic in the future, you have to have gained it before you are 10 years old otherwise it was never meant to be. Most of the school can use magic but some never received their magic so they have to go to normal school lessons and help us who can use magic out when necessary. I love having magic though. It is the best thing about my life at the moment. I'm the only fire dragon slayer in the school, while Lucy, along with another girl in our class called Yukino, can use celestial spirit magic to bring out these cool guys who help her fight using keys!

My stomach rumbling takes me out of my thoughts. "Urgh. I don't care! Is it lunchtime yet?"

"Natsu we have one more lesson then it's lunch time! Honestly all you do is think about your stomach!" Lucy groans, grabbing hold of my hand and reluctantly takes me to our next lesson.

One very boring hour later I manage to run out of the class as fast as I could to get to our usual bench in the quad area. It was an unwritten rule that our group of friends sat there so no one else bothered us. I started to sit back, relax and enjoy my lunch when…

"Oi! Flamebreath!" I look up to see a tall guy with black hair come my way.

"What!" I shout back.

"Move over! You're taking up the entire bench!"

I snort "Like I care. This is my bench Ice princess!"

"No it's for everyone flamebrains! We all sit here so move that fat ass of yours over so we can all sit down and eat!"

"Hey Gray!" Lucy says finally joining me on the bench. I rest my arm around her so she can lean on my shoulder.

"Hi Lucy. Can you please tell you shit for brains boyfriend here to move his fat ass so that I can sit down and eat!"

We both turn bright red and look at each other for help. "For the last time Gray we are not going out! We're just friends." I sigh inside with relief. I know that Lucy and I look very close but we are definately not like that! She already knows my secret and thank Mavis she has not divulged it yet!

"Sure… anyway get him to move before I punch him!"

"I will if you ask Juvia out!" I smirk.

"Why would I ask out that nutcase?"

We both sweatdrop "Oh Gray. Isn't it a little obvious that she really likes you?" Lucy sighs

"Just ask her out already and be done with it!" I say agreeing with Lucy

"Gray-sama!" We suddenly hear Juvia screaming and running towards Gray with a shirt in her hands.

She latches onto his arm in milliseconds and Lucy pinches me trying her hardest not to laugh. Juvia may be her best friend and all, but Juvia's obsession with Gray is sometimes very funny to watch.

"Gray-sama you forgot your shirt!" We all look down to Gray's chest to find him half naked and his 8-pack abs on show for all of the girls to see. I feel my face start to heat up as he grabs the shirt off Juvia and places it back on.

"I bet a fiver that the shirt will not last on his back for the rest of the day" I whisper into Lucy's ear

"You know full well that there is no point making that bet with you. Anyway" She whispered into my ear "You know you loved seeing it as much as I did"

"Sh-shut up" I answer back blushing.

"Oh come on. At least you know that Gray will never know since he is so oblivious about Juvia." I sigh. Of all the bloody people in the world, I have to be in love with my long term best friend. Lucy only found out by mistake when I accidentally told her when I was drunk.

It makes things an awful lot harder when I know that Gray is straight and according to my dad Igneel, I am not supposed to even be friends with him! After the whole incident with the blood ritual that was supposed to have made us best mates for life, Igneel sat me down and told me that he was not the right mate for me and that I was not to see or even speak to Gray again. It seemed like Gray's dad did the same with him because out of no where we stopped speaking all together! It took us until we started high school to start speaking again since we were in the same classes and were constantly placed next to each other. To be honest, I'd rather have him as a friend than a stranger any day but it makes it hard to see all of these girls - especially Juvia- who attach onto him. Plus the amount of times that he takes the piss of me saying that I have never had a girlfriend when he has had loads and has allegedly slept with so many women already. "You need to find yourself a girl! It might get you to calm the fuck down for once" Is all that he ever says to me when the subject arises, but he knows the answer that I give will always be the same. I don't want one night stands. I want that one person that I will always love. I know what I really want but I know for a fact that I am never going to get it so I guess that I'm going to have to wait until I find someone else - if that is possible.

"Oi! Natsu!" I suddenly hear behind me. I turn my head around to see Erza, Jellal, Gajeel and Levy walking up to our bench.

"Hey guys!" I beam at them trying to get my mind off of Juvia hanging onto Gray's arm. If I was a real dragon I would be growling right now at her to back the fuck off!

"What are you all up to Saturday?" Jellal asks looking at us all. There was a murmur of 'not much' or 'nothing'.

"Great! I'm having a party on Saturday at mine. You interested?"

"Sure!" Lucy answers

"We're in!" Gajeel answered grabbing Levy's hand

"Of course I will be there" Erza said kissing Jellal's cheek.

"Um…Gray-sama…. Juvia was wondering if Gray-sama was going to Jellal-san's party on Saturday night?" Juvia asks nervously next to Gray.

"Um… Sure. I guess so." Juvia beams "Are you going flathead?" Gray looks around to look at me.

I blush and grin. "I'm all fired up! " Gray nodded grinning. Believe it or not Gray is actually my drinking buddy… that is until he is making out with somebody in front of me, which like the last time, proved to be disastrous since I confessed that I liked Gray to Lucy. Note to self do not drink too much!

"Alright we're all in!" Gray shouts out

I sighed

Can't wait.

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Thank you for reading! Please don't forget to follow, favourite, comment etc. xx

P.s. I own no rights to Fairy Tail or characters mentioned in this story. They all belong to Hiro Mashima!


	3. Chapter 3

Hey guys. Sorry for the slow updates.I want to make sure that the chapters are good before I send them out. Lots of swearing in this chapter. Please be wary!

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"Natsu come on! We're going to be late!"

"It's not my fault. You are the one who couldn't decide what fucking shoes to wear!"

"Oh come on. You know as well as I do that shoes have to match my hand bag as well as the outfit."

"Lucy. I may like guys but I am not into fashion!"

"Oh come on. You know that you are secretly. Remember that time when your scarf turned black and you turned your vest inside out to make sure that the colour didn't clash?"

"That was just common sense!" I shouted.

"My point still stands!" She shouts back making her way down the stairs.

I groaned as I made my way down the stairs to find Igneel talking to Lucy.

"Hey dad." I say

Igneel smiled "Hey son. Where's the party tonight?"

"It's at Jellal Fernandes' house." Lucy answers for me

"Okay. Is Gray Fullbuster going?" He says with almost a growl in his tone

"How should I know? I don't speak to him" I automatically say shrugging my shoulders.

"Good" Igneel muttered. "Anyway you two have a good night tonight. Give my regards to the Fernandes family. But before you leave, Natsu, a word?"

"I'll wait outside for you" Lucy says waving goodbye to Igneel

As soon as the front door closes, Igneel leans in to talk to me. I internally sigh. What the fuck have I done now! "Natsu… now as much as I love Lucy being here and I am alright with her being in your room and all, I have to ask. Are you hitting that?"

I look back at him confused "What?"

"You know… are you…WITH her?"

I look back at him shocked. "What no! You know that her and I are just friends!"

"Why not? She is cute, great ass, great tits, hell I bet she would be great in bed-"

"Dad! This is neither the time nor the conversation I want to have with you- ever!"

"I'm just concerned Natsu. You have never had a girlfriend… that I know of, and now you are off to so many parties…. I just don't want you to make me a granddad any time soon but I don't want you to be lonely. Dragon slayers mate for life remember that. You can kiss as many girls as you like. You could go out with as many girls as you like. Hell you could have your own harem! But if a dragon slayer gets with someone..physically, that is it you will not be with anyone else!"

I frown "I know this old man. Why are you telling me this now?"

"Why don't you do it with Lucy? She would be perfect for you! Give her a little bit of alcohol and kiss her when her inhibitions are low and she is telling you that she loves you when she is drunk - it is a win-win situation!"

"That's wrong Igneel and you know it! Plus I've already told you this dad. I don't see her like that. She will always be my best friend and nothing more. No length of friendship or partying or alcohol involved is ever going to change that."

"All I am saying is try it tonight! Give her one kiss on the lips and see if you like it. If not, laugh it off, blame it on the alcohol and things will be fine. That's how I got with your mum and look how that turned out!"

I roll my eyes in disbelief and frustration "Sure Dad. I'll try it"

My dad smiled "And then I will get Lucy-kicked in the face" I murmered back as I walked out of the front door.

"So what did Igneel want?" Lucy asked as I joined her by her car.

I laugh inwardly. "The usual. He bitched that I've had no girlfriends and said that I should try getting you drunk and kiss you."

Lucy laughed "That sounds about right. Although to be honest Natsu" She pauses blushing "It may get Igneel off your back if we pretended to date for a while don't you think?"

I shrug. I guess there would be no harm in trying it. "Anything is better than coming out to Mum and Igneel I guess. But what about Loke?"

Lucy blushes "Wh-what do you mean?"

I scoff "Come on Luce. I know that something is going on with you and Loke. I'm not blind you know."

Lucy's blush deepens "Even so. Nothing at the moment is happening with me and Loke, even if I wanted it to. Consider this helping you out."

I looked at her skeptically "But for what in return?"

She smiles "You come with me to the ball that my Father is planning on having next month."

I smile back linking her arm with mine "Deal"

She kisses me on the cheek "Come on. Let's go get drunk"

A few hours later, the party is in full swing. Everyone is trying to drink our class mate Cana under the table and like usual, miserably failing. I am currently sitting in between Gray and Lucy and surprisingly holding my drink. I guess being a dragon slayer, I have a higher tolerance then others, but it doesn't stop me from joining in. Lucy is currently leaning her head on me trying not to fall asleep, while Gray is next to me trying to down yet another shot of whiskey for forfeiting a dare given by Cana.

I watch his face cringe as the whiskey does it's trick and gasp at the bitter taste. I sigh. Even in this state he still looks cute to me. I get one more round in for everyone of whiskeys as it becomes my turn for a dare from Cana.

I give Cana a stern look as she downs the shot in one. "Come on Cana. Give me your worst!"

She chuckles lowly "Okay. Natsu Dragneel. You are a very mysterious man when it comes to relationships so I dare you to admit to us a truth about your love life, and then you have to kiss someone in this circle!"

I laugh. This is too easy. "Okay." I say, taking a sip of my whiskey. "Lucy? You ready to tell them?" I ask the girl currently leaning on my shoulders. I secretly glance at Gray and my stomach starts to flip and fill with dread. Seeing Gray look at me with curious eyes made me want to stop what I was doing. Something inside of me was saying that I shouldn't go ahead with the plan but I pushed it to the side. We had been meaning to bring up our plan to pretend that we were dating all night to everyone but we never really got a chance. We had agreed on the way over to go ahead with it and announce it tomorrow to Igneel that we were 'dating' saying that we hooked up at the party.

Lucy looked up at me, nodded and smiled.

"Lucy and I are going out" With that, I down the rest of my drink and grab Lucy's face to give her a quick peck on the side of her lips. For Lucy it was not her first kiss but I wanted my first kiss to be with someone that I loved so I purposefully missed but made it look like I meant to kiss her on the lips.

"What?" Ezra was the first to question us as we broke apart from the kiss.

"Uh.. yeah. Natsu and I are dating" Lucy said shyly.

"Since when?" Jellal asked

"Since tonight" I answered bluntly

Everyone was silent for a second or two before Cana chimed in. "Well good on the two of you! I say we drink in celebration!" She shouted out raising her glass causing us all to do the same. I turn to look at Lucy and wink her she grabs my hand in hers and gives it a squeeze in encouragement.

"Congrats flame-brain." Gray said coldly to the side of me making me jump. I turned to him and studied him taking a sip of his drink. His face looked stiffened and emotionless. He almost looked like he was mad or something, but in my current state I did the only thing that I could do.

I blushed and looked away "Th-thanks" I almost didn't want to look at him. Inside I felt like I was almost betraying Gray for deciding to pretend to date Luce. Like I was almost giving up on him. The thought did not settle well within me and my heart suddenly felt very heavy.

"Right Lucy you are next!" Cana shouts out carrying on the game trying to change the subject.

With that, we were back in the room and into the game. This time things had somehow changed. Everyone was still drunk but Gray was a lot more closed off than before. It was like he suddenly didn't want to be there. Halfway through the next round, Gray decided to walk off to have a smoke. It was a bad habit that him and I had when we were drinking but I decided to cut it out fully months ago while Gray carried on.

"Hold on Gray, I'll come out with you." I offered

"No it's okay. Don't worry about it. Take my turn" Gray answers

"Are you sure?" I ask.

"Yeah. I'll be right back" Gray answered but he didn't meet my eyes. He was looking anywhere else but at me.

As he walked away I felt uneasy about leaving him outside on his own. I turn to look at Lucy who understood what I wanted to say. "I'll be right back". With that I gave her a kiss on the cheek and walked outside to see Gray.

I eventually find him sitting on the small stone wall surrounding the front garden. I watched as he sparked up a cigarette and took a deep puff before breathing out heavily. He laid his head in his hands and I took this as my cue to come closer to him.

"I told you that I'm fine" Gray said aloud knowing that I was there.

"I know. But I just wanted some fresh air."

Gray scoffed raising his hand in the air holding the cigarette "I wouldn't exactly call it fresh air"

I laugh."I'm a fire dragon slayer. That is nothing to me"

Gray takes another puff of his cigarette causing a silence between us

"What's wrong Ice-block?"

Gray looked at me with confusion "What you talking about?"

"You know what I mean Gray" Gray looked at me shocked. I only ever used his real name when I was serious about something.

Gray took another drag and played with the cigarette in his hands. "I'm fine flame-brain. Just shocked about you and Lucy that's all"

"Oh come on. Is it really that much of a shock to you that we are together?"

Gray laughs "I guess. But at least Igneel is happy right?"

I look at him puzzled "What do you mean?"

"Oh come on Natsu. Everyone knows your little secret. We all worked it out. At least now Igneel thinks that you are dating a girl so he is gonna be happy"

I feel my face turn white. "Hold on a second what secret?" He can't mean…

Gray finished the last of his cigarette and flicks it away "Natsu we all know that you are gay so that's why it shocked us all that you are deciding to date a woman"

I stand there frozen to the spot "How….ho-…when?"

"It wasn't hard to work out. You have pink hair and you have never shown the slightest interest in any girls. If that doesn't shout out gay then I don't know what will"

I feel the anger burning up inside of me. How dare he bring it up so bluntly like this to me! "For how long!" I don't even bother trying to deny it. There honestly is no point.

"For a few months now… So. Are you actually going out with her or pretending?"

I breath a heavy sigh and sit on the wall beside Gray. I came out here to confront Gray about his moody behaviour and now here I am admitting shit I wouldn't any other time.

"Here's how it is. I don't want to come out to my Mum and Igneel and Lucy has promised me that she will date me for a while just to get him off my back. Nothing big but it can buy me a year or two before he gets suspicious again. Eventually I am going to have to find a mate and be with them for the rest of my life, but I don't want to do that until I'm ready."

"But I thought that you already had" Gray whispered shoving his hands in his pocket and looking down at his feet

"What, with Lucy? No!" I answer back offended. Gray kept looking at the floor and shuffled his feet. He looked almost nervous.

"No.. I thought… you know….. I thought that I was your mate"

For the second time that night I felt the blood drain from my face. "W-what?"

"Don't you remember the spell that we did when we were kids that you told me would make us best mates for life?" He asked. I thought back and nodded.

He stood up from the wall and turned to face me. "After our Dad's split us apart I went and looked for that spell. I wanted a way to keep being friends without you being around as much, I came across the spell you cast and…... hold on... You don't realise the spell that you started do you?" His voice started pick up in shock

I shook my head and with that Gray's body started to shake with laughter. He placed his head in his hands as he started to laugh. "I'm such an idiot! Of course you didn't!" He suddenly shouted at me "You are such a fucking asshole!"

"What are you talking about?" I bite back

"You have no idea what you have started have you?" Gray looked me almost with disbelief as I continue to shake my head.

"I have no idea what you are on about Ice block. That spell I did was just some silly thing we did when we were kids"

The next thing I knew, I was lying on the ground with a pain in my jaw. I looked up disorientated to see Gray with his fist outstretched from where he just punched me with a tear rolling down his face. "It was not some silly thing you bastard! You really need to work out how to deal with people's emotions"

With that he was gone and I was left lying on the floor cupping my jaw.

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Hope you guys liked it! Please comment, follow, favourite etc! Always appreciate support for anything that I send out! Hope you all had a great Christmas and have a happy New Year! Love to all x


	4. Chapter 4

It's been over a week since the party and for some reason Gray has decided to not talk to me and I don't know why! Was it something that I said? Was it something that I did? Gray is such a shit for brains. Why did he have to punch me like that for no reason! Plus, what did he mean by "I needed to work out how to deal with people's emotions"? What utter crap!

I walk into class like every morning and take my seat next to Lucy. I take a look across the room and see Gray sitting with water woman next to him talking to her and I instantly feel jealous. Why does she get special treatment and I don't? Gray and I have been best friends for years, even when our Dads told us not to be, we carried on being friends anyway. We have had way worse fights than this so why is it this one in particular that is causing Gray to not talk to me. Normally we argue, we punch it out, call each other idiotic names and then we are back to being best friends again. This time, something has changed…

For the past week, Lucy has been my main source of company. We had both decided to tell my Dad that we started to date after the party like we had agreed and that we would "break it off" after the ball. It meant that I could have her over after school to talk since no one else would right now. My Dad was ecstatic when he heard the news! He could not be more delighted that I had finally "got on the scene" but as much as I pretended to be happy myself about it, my conversation with Gray kept bugging me.

Everyone else has seemed to have taken Gray's side since the party and all I have gotten for the past week are these sad looks, but no one will tell me what the hell is going on! Lucy and I went over the conversation that I had with Gray for the thousandth time today in science class. She had told me that it was linked to the spell that Gray and I did as kids but she would not tell me what that stupid spell meant! It was just us messing around as kids trying to stay best friends. There is nothing there to get so upset over!

When I got home from school, I laid down on my bed trying to find the smallest detail. Then something pops into my head.

"I thought that I was your mate ….. You don't realise the spell that you started do you?"

I absentmindedly got out of bed and walked over to my bookshelf looking at all of the books that I have gathered over the years that were to do with my magic and the history of dragons. I run my hand over one book in particular and open the book to the page I wanted. Most of it was garbage talking about the whole principle for dragons and dragon slayers to have mates and what it means to have a mate. Quite a few times it reinstates that once the ritual is complete, then it will never be reversible. I turn the page to see what looks to be instructions for the ritual to claim your chosen mate. My eyes widen as I look over the ritual and then I realise. It's very similar to what Gray and I did under the tree to be best friends for life.

The mating pair had to share blood. We did that.

They had to repeat promises to be mates for life, stating who they have chosen. We had done that too.

The pair's magic had to fuse together. We were very close with that before my Dad interrupted us.

Once that was competed, the dragon or dragon slayer had to bite the neck of the chosen mate and lick their blood to form their claim mark. I remember we both agreed that we did not want to do that but do the blood section only.

My eyes widen even more and my hands start to shake so much that I drop the book.

Oh Mavis. What have I done? I started to make Gray my mate when I was younger. What the hell was I thinking back then! I had no idea!

I threw my head into my hands trying to gather my thoughts on this situation. No wonder Gray punched at the party. I really did have no idea what spell I was doing! I was new to my magic and I was still studying it. I really did not have a clue that this spell was so life changing. Hell I remember skipping all of the writing at the beginning when I first thing saw the spell and wanted to go straight into making it so that I could be friends with Gray for life. When I read that it would make you 'mates for life', I thought that it meant 'mate' as in best friend!

I lie back down on the bed with my arm over my face to try and gather my thoughts. I wanted to shut the world out right there and then, and never see anyone again. I suddenly start to laugh as I thought about my situation. I am in love with my best friend and now I think I know why! I think in my mind I must have always loved Gray like that otherwise I don't think that I would have done that ritual! I sigh. Either way there is one thing that I need to settle.

I need to talk to Gray and get his side of the story. It's all well and good being in love with him but I need to know what he thinks of me.

The next day I decide to hunt Gray down. I find him outside the lockers near our history of magic class talking to his older brother Lyon.

"Oi. Popsicle!" I call out acting as if everything was normal. Gray turns his head in reaction to my call but turns his head back immediately when he finds out it was me.

That seriously cheesed me off. "Oi! Ice for brains I'm talking to you!" Again he ignores me, but his moron of a brother doesn't.

"Fuck off Natsu. Gray doesn't want to speak to you"

I feel my blood start to boil "I was not talking to you now was I" I turn to Gray "I need to talk to you. It's important."

"I already told you Natsu, Gray does not want to speak to you. Go away and leave us alone"

I move my face closer to Lyon's. Mavis this guy really gets on my nerves. "I don't care. I have something important to talk to freezer about and I need to talk to him now about it"

"Just go away Natsu" We both hear a small murmur from beside us. We both turn to look at Gray who is leaning against the lockers with his arms folded across his front. It's his nervous tick for when he is uncomfortable, but despite every fibre in my being, I ignore it.

I lean away from Lyon and turn to look Gray directly in the eyes. I manage to catch his dark eyes in mine as I put my point across. "Gray" I say softly "Please I need to talk to you. It's important" That caught both Gray and Lyon off guard. I never say please! Why should I? I'm a bloody dragonslayer! I shouldn't have to say please for anything.

As I watch his face, I notice that something inside clicks and he sighs heavily. He turns to look at Lyon "I'll see you at lunch." and starts walking down the nearest corridor. I follow immediately, not wanting to lose where Gray was heading. I knew exactly where he was heading to.

There is a section towards the side of the school building where it is known by the kids to be the best place for privacy. Most love confessions, smoke breaks and make out sessions are known to have happened there, but I knew that nothing of the sort was going to be happening here.

We finally reach the side of the school and Gray leans up against the wall, his arms folded across his chest.

"Go on. What is so important" His snaps showing off his icy exterior that I know for a fact he is hiding behind.

I take a deep breath. Here goes nothing. "I'm sorry"

Gray looks at me shocked. I've never apologised to Gray, let alone anyone, for anything before so this was something definitely new. "I'm sorry Gray." I repeat

He overcomes his shock and leans back on the wall again, his arms still folded across his chest. "What for?"

"I realise that I hurt you last week at the party and originally for the life of me I could not work out why you were so mad at me. Then I remembered what you said about the spell we did when we were kids so I looked it up and I now realise my mistake. I had no idea what the spell meant at the time and now I do. I have no idea how to fix it but I will find a way. We only got half way through it so it's not official or anything. So what I'm trying to say is.. I'm sorry Gray for making you go through that when we were kids"

Gray shakes his head. "It's a start flame brain, but you don't get the point of why I am so mad at you"

I look at him puzzled. What else could he be mad at me for?

Gray sneered at me. "Because of your 'mistake', we have to pretend to hate each other around our families. You are meant to be my best friend and I can't even admit it to anyone! My Dad was telling me the other night that he and your Dad used to be best friends as well until your 'mistake'! Ever since I found out what the spell really was about, I have had to walk around for years thinking that I was your chosen mate and because of that, I have lost multiple opportunities to have normal relationships! I could have had any girl that I wanted at this school! I could be with even fucking Juvia right now, but what pisses me off the most is that because of some stupid spell, I have to accept that I am forced to be in love with my best friend! I could be normal right now. I could be going on dates, I could be holding hands and kissing any girl in my sight but no! I have to accept that I want to do that sort of shit with you and I also have to watch you walk around, thinking that you don't give a damn about me in that way when you don't even realise how much you impacted on my life because of your 'mistake'!"

All I can do is stand there wide eyed at Gray. He loves me? He wants to hold my hand? He wants to KISS me? Although on the inside I am screaming with joy to the rooftops, my heart sinks and a realisation hits me. He thinks that is forced to love me because of the ritual and that it something that I was not prepared for.

"Is that really how you feel?" Is all that I can ask

"Of course that's how I feel you bastard! I wouldn't be lying to right now would I?" Gray snaps

"So…." I start shifting uncomfortably. I did not expect things to turn this way "You think that you are forced to love me?"

Gray freezes but after taking a deep breathe, he seems to calm down a bit. "Well.. yeah. I mean how else is it possible? We both started a spell that makes me your shitty-slayer mate for life. I don't want to be forced to be anyone's mate! I want to be able to choose who I end up with for the rest of my life. I don't want someone deciding that for me, and above all, why does it have to be you! It could have been a girl and I would have been fine with it! Not you! You're a guy! How am I meant to love a guy? It's not like you like me back! Is it?" My eyes widen in shock at the notion. It has never occurred to me that being the same gender had any effect on things. I always thought that that was how it went. Who you loved was who you loved and that was that.

I turn to look away in response before Gray can notice my ever reddening face, frustrated with myself that I can not bring myself to say the words that I have been wanting to say for a while. But now that everything has now come to light, how is this not the perfect time to tell him that I do like him back. That I want to hold his hand and kiss him and date him and spend every waking moment with him. I try and think of the best way to say it to him and by the time I lift my head and open my mouth to speak the words that I had mustered in my head that resembles something like what I want to say to him, the school bell rings breaking us out of the moment.

Gray sighs and turns his head away. "I guess not then flame brain."

"Gray…." I start feebly protesting

"I think it's best that you just leave me alone from now on." He says walking away before I get a chance to say anything.

* * *

Oh I am mean aren't I lol They got so close! Don't worry guys. All in good time ;)

Thank you again for reading and following this story! I am currently writing another chapter and I can not wait to share it with you!

Please don't forget to follow, favourite and above all COMMENT! Your comments mean the world to me when I see them!

See you soon for the next chapter! (Should not be too long of a wait I hope - it all depends on when I have time to post!)

Love to all x

Disclaimer: Like usual, I do not own anything to do with Fairy Tail. Otherwise this and SO MANY other relationships would be happening right now!


	5. Chapter 5

"Come on Natsu. You've barely touched your food again! What's the matter with you?"

I stare up from my FOOD, fork in hand and my plate still full. Igneel, my mum Grandine, Wendy and I have been up the table eating dinner and by now I would be on my second course, but my mind is just blank. It has been a few days since Gray told me to leave him alone and since then I seem to have almost fallen into a depression spiral. I don't want to leave the house, I don't want to eat. I don't want to do anything at all. Even eating fire or fighting - my two most favourite things to do- don't appeal to me anymore. The simple reason? Gray hates me. He wants nothing to do with me and that kills me. If we were just normal friends then I would just fight him but because I love Gray and I now know that he loves me…. I don't know what to do. I had the most perfect opportunity to tell him exactly how I felt but I was a complete dumbass and didn't say anything! I feel like I have missed the opportunity of a lifetime and now Gray is never going to speak to me again! I have lost my best friend but also my one and only potential mate.

"Natsu!" I jump at the sound of my name being shouted across the table.

"It's nothing" I snap.

"Sure it looks like nothing to me" Igneel growls looking at me with a scowl, his red spiky hair cascading down his face hiding his yellow eyes.

"I'm fine Igneel. Just got a lot going on at school"

"What about Lucy? Hows things going there?" Shit I completely forgot that he thought we were dating still. I just shrugged my shoulders in response

He hums and nods, getting up from the table grabbing everyone's plate including mine to take it to the sink.

"Hey!" I moan in protest

"You were not eating it so I guess you didn't want it" With that I jump up from the table in rush "I'm going to my room" I mumble loud enough so that he can hear it. Not like I needed to say it loud anyway. He is a dragon currently in his human form so his senses are amazingly sensitive. Nothing gets past him.

I slam the door to my room and lie myself down on my bed on my front. I don't remember how long I stayed there for being lost in my own thoughts with my head in my pillow trying to calm my anger down. It wasn't until I heard a small knock on the door. I sniff the air smelling Wendy's scent.

"Go away Wendy!" I moan loudly enough for her to hear.

"Papa wants to speak to you." I hear her mumble nervously.

"Then tell the old man he can come up here instead. I'm not in the mood" I snap. I hear her sigh and walk away, leaving me for a few moments of peace before I hear loud booming noises coming up the stairs and loud banging on my door.

"Natsu! Open up!" Igneel shouts

"I don't want to talk Igneel!" I shout back!

"We are worried about you Natsu! Tell us what's been going on!" He shouts back

"Well I'm not telling you so go away!"

"What on earth is going on here!" I hear my Mother's voice chime in.

"Natsu is being a pain in the ass and is not telling us what is wrong!" Igneel shouts back

"Natsu is probably going through something difficult right now and you shouting about it and trying to force it out of him is not going to make things any better now is it!"

I hear my Dad huff and storm off before a soft knock appears on my door. "Natsu?"

"What?"

"Can I come in please?" Mavis, my Mum always plays the soft card that I can't refuse. I sigh.

"Fine" I say refusing to move from my position on the bed. I feel the bed slightly move as she sits down next to me and she starts to run her fingers through my head. It's always her signature move to get me to calm down and most of the time I welcome it. I just let her carry on for a minute or two before she slows down the pace.

"So are you going to tell us what's wrong?" She asks

I scoff "There is nothing Mum. Igneel is just being a pain in the ass."

Mum laughs. "Funny. That's what your Dad calls you"

She carries on stroking my hair for a while in silence while I lie on the bed, trying to work out why my Mom is not leaving. I'm not telling her anything so I don't see why we is trying to talk to me. "You know that we are all worried about you Natsu. Things have changed recently and it seems to have affected you in a big way. We just want to know that you are okay that's all."

I reluctantly move my head to the side so that I can see her. "I'm fine Mum. Just a lot going on at school"

"Tell me about it"

I scoff "It's nothing interesting. Just exams and stuff"

"Are you sure that there are no other problems? Say? With the girls at school?"

I say nothing. "What about the boys at school? Are any of them giving you trouble?" Despite my best efforts, my body jolts slightly giving away the reason behind my changed mood. Busted.

Mum sighs "Have you fallen out with a friend?" I give in and just nod. What more can I say to her. I can't tell her everything.

"Why don't you just talk to them?"

I give up trying to be quiet. Despite everything my Mum is best for talking about this sort of stuff to. "I tried and he told me he never wants to speak to me again."

"Natsu. You're 18. You're not 10 anymore. Just be adults about this and try to talk to him. I'm sure that he will listen to you eventually."

"It's been over a week. I've tried everything and he doesn't want to know."

"Do you like him?" I immediately sit up and look at her shocked. "What?"

I am hit with a look of disbelief. "Oh come on. I am not your Father. You think that I didn't know"

I feel the blood run from my face. I thought that I was so careful all of this time! I thought that no one has ever known and yet everyone seems to know! Am I just that obvious? Do I have a "I am gay" sign above my head that I can't see!?

Mum chuckles "Don't worry. I won't tell anyone. You are my son. I love you for you. I knew that you and Lucy never really were together because you wanted to be and the rest was obvious. Whoever you decide to love is your choice and no one else's" She smiles and with that the dams on my eyes burst open and I am engulfed in my Mother's scent as she hugs me tightly while I pour my heart out to her about everything- not mentioning that it is Gray involved and the mating ritual of course.

After I finished my story I lent back from my Mother who was still rubbing my hair and wiping the tears from my eyes. She smiles a calm smile back at me. "So what is his name?"

I look away in embarrassment.

"Natsu?"

"I can't tell you"

"Why is that?"

My breath hitches. What do I say?

"Is it someone that I don't like?" I nod. She sighs

"That's okay. I don't need to know. I have an incline on who it may be but it's okay if you don't want to tell me yet. It's hard enough to admit this much to me"

My heart swells with love for my Mother. She really is understanding in times like this. "I love you Mum"

"I love you too Natsu. Just remember that mating season comes around soon for you. Just be careful with this friend of yours."

I nod. I've been told about this enough already recently. Mating season for dragonslayers come around their 18th birthday in the Springtime, wherever that may fall depending on their birthday and it lasts until Summer. If I have found my mate, then I have to claim them as soon as possible before I lose her (or in my case him) for good. If I do not have a mate to claim then it will keep going every year until I choose one. Igneel is hoping that I will come home with Lucy as my mate but now that my Mother knows, things may get interesting.

"What do I do? I know that Igneel wants to me claim Lucy but I don't want to. I don't love her. I already told him that we are dating to get him off my back about all of this." My eyes widen in horror. "Does he know?"

She laughs "Not at all. I've kept it to myself don't worry. Plus the conversation we are having now is safe. I've had Wendy put a protection spell on your room so no one can hear us right now. You could say that you spoke to Lucy and she is not ready for that kind of commitment since it hasn't been long since you have been together. It will buy you a few months to patch things up with this guy and maybe you can claim him, especially since he admitted to liking you back."

I growl and rub my palms on my eyes. "I wish I wasn't so forced with this stupid mating season."

Suddenly something popped into my head. "What about what happened with my old friend Gray Fullbuster when I was younger?" If we were halfway through the ritual, would that mean that we are almost mates so I don't have to do the season anyway?"

Mum stiffens. "What do you mean?" Shit! Me and my big mouth! Oh well. No time like the present eh?

I blush "Well. I remember accidentally doing the first half of the ritual with Gray when I was younger but Igneel stopped us before I got to point where I mark him. I know that's the reason why our families stopped talking and why I was not to be friends with him anymore but doesn't that make him partially my mate already?"

Mum's shoulders dropped and she closed her eyes.

"Your Father is against boys being together as mates since the whole idea of mating originally was to reproduce with the best person for you and the fact that you had only claimed your magic for three weeks and you were trying to mate with your best male friend really shocked him. Silver Fullbuster was exactly the same but they both know that if the ritual had gone ahead and had been completed, there was nothing that they could do to stop you two being together. A dragonslayer mates for life Natsu, you know that. If you had fully mated with Gray, then there was nothing that would stop you two from being together. It is the law in our world and our particular magic. Once you are mated you belong to that one person alone and visa versa. That's why both of your magic fuse together as part of the ritual. You will always be a part of each other."

I nod in understanding. "The other person is Gray isn't it"

I look back at her frozen in shock and once again feeling my face drain of blood. Mum smiles at me "Don't worry. Your secret is safe with me. I thought this may happen one day anyway." My Mum is too clever for her own good

"W-wh-what do you mean?" I nervously ask

"Well. Even though you were too young to really claim anyone, you two started the ritual. Since you started it, it would still bind you two together but it would only fully come into effect when you two reached 18 years of age. Since it was incomplete, it would only seem fair that around about this time you two would reunite and try to go with your natural urges to complete the ritual. You two fused your magic together. Despite not completing the ritual by marking him, Gray is pretty much your mate and the magic inside the both of you will want to complete the ritual especially since it is coming up to mating season."

I put my head in my hands and groan in frustration. I feel a warm hand running through my hair again in comfort. "Don't worry I see Gray all of the time walking home from school. Gray is just like his Father. He is probably just being stubborn. Try talking to him again alone and this time tell him how you feel. You never know, it might work this time and you can have what you want. You are part dragon Natsu and dragons take what they want and never let it go."

I smile and ball my hand into a fist. My Mother is right. I need to fight to be with Gray. This is my last chance to claim him. "I'm all fired up!"

She laughs. "That's the spirit. But remember Natsu. Gray is a half-claimed mate so his scent is going to drive other dragonslayers in your year group crazy when the season hits. I've already been warned that in your year there are another three dragonslayers who have not claimed anyone yet. You need to claim him within the first week if you want to ensure that he is yours for good. Unclaimed mates are like eating elements to a dragonslayer in heat and Gray will be prime on the hit list."

I nod my head. There is seven dragonslayers in total in my school including me. Laxus from two years above me has already claimed his long term girlfriend Mira, Wendy is too young to claim properly yet, Cobra from the year above me has claimed that quiet girl Kinana in his class, which leaves Three dragonslayers not including me…. "Two of them I won't have to worry about" I say aloud "Rogue has already said that he is going to claim his girlfriend Yukino when the season hits and if Gajeel pulls his finger out of his ass in time then he will claim Lucy's best friend Levy. The only one I would have to worry about is…"

My eyes scowl and I inwardly growl posessively

"Sting"

* * *

And now the main part of the story can begin! Is everyone clued up? I'm still currently writing many chapters and I have a long way to go until the story is finished! I can't wait to share it with you! If anyone doesnt get the whole mating ritual thing, comment or pm me and ill explain it again! I hope you all liked this chapter! Please comment, pm, favourite, follow me etc! Every single one brightens my day :) Also hi to everyone reading this on a app! (i have it for the android but I can't comment on the stories so I understand if you can not comment! D: )

Love to all!

Disclaimer: I own nothing to do with Fairy Tail!


	6. Chapter 6

HI GUYS

SORRY THIS IS NOT AN UPDATE BUT THERE HAS BEEN A SERIOUS PROBLEM ON THAT WE FANS OF THE SITE NEED TO SORT OUT ASAP!

One of the most loved fanfiction writers on here (in my opinion anyway) Wild Rhov has just reported that has been copied onto multiple sites and every story has been copied exactly!

I need you all to do the following to get these sites taken down!

Go here: webmasters/tools/spamreportform?hl=en

Put in the name of the website (one report each)

Write in additional details: _This is a spamdexing mirror site to and has stolen my profiles and intellectual property._

Click "I am not a robot" and then "Report webspam"

Report more by clicking the link on: _Go back to the webspam report form._

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 **Quoted from Wild Rhov's page:**

 **(WARNING, these sites have malicious ads that carry malware! Use an adblocker)** They are making profit off _your_ stories with advertisements. This is called **spamdexing** ** _._** Please report them. Theft of this hefty magnitude, literally millions of stories, should **not** go unpunished.

Also, do not attempt to log in to any site that looks like but is not. In theory, they could steal your email and password!

I've just done this and I ask that you do the same!

Because of this I will not be posting for a few weeks. I am not having someone repeat my stories that I have worked so hard on for profit!

See you soon when everything has been sorted (I hope)

mooney-996 xxx


	7. Chapter 7

The rest of the week runs by quickly. After the talk with my Mum, my mood brightened immediately, much to the happiness of my friends and family, and I spend the rest of the week working out how to try to get Gray to talk to me. Once again, my attempts fail miserably but this time it doesn't bring me down. To my calculations, I have three months to go until the mating season starts, and with the threat of Sting bringing his nose into things, I want to talk to Gray as soon as possible.

Monday morning comes around quickly for school and Lucy is knocking on my door to pick me up.

"Mum, Dad I'm off. See you later." I open and slam the door behind me before I even get a chance to hear their replies.

"Morning Natsu" Lucy greets me brightly.

"Morning" I grumble back. I am not in the mood today. Despite my weekend of trying to work out how to get Gray to talk to me, I come up with nothing that would actually work.

Lucy and I walk for a while talking about the weekend. She told me that since the whole thing of her and I dating is out the window except for our parents, (well, not for my Mum at least), she finally went on a date with Loke and I told her about my conversation with Mum.

I sigh after finishing my story "I don't know what to do Luce. I can't have Sting snooping around Gray but I can't protect Gray because he will not talk to me either."

"Oh Natsu. It's simple really. I'll get you two talking by the end of the day don't you worry. Gray needs to know about the mating season, especially since he is a half claimed mate."

I just nod in reply. I trust Luce to help me out but there is no bet that Gray will talk to me. Still I clench my fists in determination. Nothing is going to stop me from getting what I want.

As we arrive at the lockers, I stop in shock at the sight before me. Gray is leaning with his back against his locker while Sting is talking to him leaning on the lockers on one hand hovering over Gray. The dragon side of me starts to growl and it takes everything in me to calm it down. Ever since my Mum warned that mating season was on the way, my senses had heightened in all manners but most of all, Gray's scent has been magnified tenfold. So much so that it is not just me that it has affected. Sting has been hovering around Gray more than Juvia ever does. I look at Gray and see a face of indifference and I instantly sigh in relief. Gray does not seem affected by all of this and is trying to brush Sting off. Clearly Gray is having none of it so why isn't he telling him to go away.

I manage to reach my locker without going over to see Gray or listen to their conversation. I don't really care what they are talking about but my dragon side is very interested. As I open my locker with the door blocking the two from my vision, my growling instantly calms down. I close my eyes and take a deep calming breath. Worst mistake ever! Gray's winter pine and mint smell instantly fills my nostrils and takes over my whole body. My growling comes back louder and harder to control as suddenly my ears focus on the conversation I am trying to avoid. I subconsciously feel Lucy rubbing my back slowly trying to calm me down but I take no notice to it.

"Oh come on Gray. Why not join the football team?"

"Because I don't want to."

"Come on. I want to get to know you a little more. I see you around all of the time and we are in a lot of classes together."

"Then talk to me during the classes then. I'm not friends with you Sting. We have nothing in common"

"Then I will try my hardest to get to know you. I'm sure that we have a lot more in common than you think" I hear him smirk. That's it!. I decide to break up the conversation right there and I slam my locker door shut causing everyone around me to turn their head towards me.

"Natsu-chan!" Sting says smiling widely at me. He always seems to take a shine to me which has never bothered me until now. My possessive side is going haywire at the moment and nothing is going to calm me down until Sting gets away from Gray. My blood is boiling, my heart rate is rising dramatically and right now everyone around me is cut off to my senses except from myself, Gray and Sting.

I look between Gray and Sting. Sting looks like his happy go lucky self but Gray is looking away scowling at the adjacent wall so he does not have to meet my eye. Just in time the bell rings breaking off a little bit of the tension that surrounds the hallway. None of us move but I notice Lucy and a few others moving everyone along, despite a few protests, so that we can have some privacy.

"Sting" I grit through my teeth. "A word?"

He looks from me to Gray. Gray nods. "I'll tell Mr Clive that you two will be late." Sting nods and with that Gray walks off to class. I shake my head. "Not here"

I turn around and notice that Lucy is still standing behind me. "Go to class Luce. I'll be fine"

She nods, smiles softly, rubs my arm in comfort with one hand and walks to class. "She really cares about you doesn't she" He asks when she is gone.

I nod. "She is my best friend"

We walk in silence up to the top of the school where the all-weather pitch is. No one ever goes there so it is the best place for privacy. Once we reach the entrance to the grounds, I turn sharply and face Sting.

"What do you think you are doing?"

Sting looks at me confused. "What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean Sting. We both know that mating season is coming soon and you are trying to stake your claim on something that you can not have."

"What do you mean? I know it is coming soon but I can't help it Natsu-chan. He just smells delicious that's all"

I sigh "I know he does but Gray is mine to claim Sting so stay away"

Sting smirks back at me "Oh really? How is he yours to claim eh? We both know that he is only half claimed by you since your smokey stench has ruined his beautiful winter scent, but it is really faint. He is still someone's to claim and I want that person to be me. I mean, who wouldn't want that gorgeous man to be theirs."

I clench my fists in frustration "Since you know that he is mine, why don't you just back off and let me have him?"

I watch his face lean down and grow darker "I'm sorry Natsu-chan. You know that I idolise you but this is one thing that I can not let you have. The dragon inside of me is screaming for me to finish the claiming with Gray and nothing is going to stop me"

I shake my head "Gray has already told me that he loves me"

"Feelings can always be altered Natsu-chan. If I had it my way, one little bite done in the right way can change everything"

I scowl. "You wouldn't dare Sting!" His eyes darken as his smirk returns.

"Would I?" I shake my head in disbelief. It is said that if a dragon slayer bites a chosen mate in a certain way, whether they want it or not, that person's loyalty and feelings for the dragon slayer increase dramatically. If Sting bit Gray then Gray would fall in love with Sting instantly and would never want to leave his side. It was used hundreds of years ago when dragons and dragon slayers forced their mates into loving them, even if they already had partners, robbing them of their free will. It's the worst thing that any dragon slayer could do and it has been banned for centuries for good reason.

"You know that we are not allowed to use that spell Sting" I growl. How dare he even insinuate that he would even attempt that spell! "Everyone has a right to choose who they want to be with Sting. Gray has told me that he loves me and I love him back. In three months time we are completing what we started and there is nothing that you can do about it!"

"Oh really? Have you told him that you love him? Last thing I know for sure is that you two are not speaking at the moment"

I jolt back in shock. "That is not your concern Sting. I am done with this conversation Sting. I think we should be like adults and let Gray decide who he wants to be with. He does not know about mating season yet and he needs to know what he is in for"

Sting nods. "I understand that Gray needs to know but I'm sorry Natsu-san. I am not giving in to you. I will have Gray by my side doing the mating ritual with me in three months time and there is nothing you can do" He shoves his hands in his pocket and walks off back into the school grounds. I just turn and watch him walk away.

I clench my fists together in rage. "Just you watch me Sting."

Hello everyone! I'm sorry I've been MIA for a while. I have been leaving my ff stuff for a while so hopefully the copycat sites have been taken down (I'm not sure if they have been taken down or not but thank you to those who did report them!)

So the plot thickens! Hope you guy are enjoying this so far! I promise I will update more now :) Please dont forget to review, follow, favourite etc! :) love to all xx


	8. Chapter 8

As soon as I have finished my conversation with Sting, I run as fast as I can around the school to find Gray. I finally find Gray walking through to the lunch room and my heart stops. I take a deep breath in. It's now or never.

"Gray!" I shout out trying to grab his attention. His eyes immediately lift up to see me so I start running closer to him. As soon as I start running towards him, Gray turns around and starts walking away from me.

"Gray please talk to me" I shout

"Go away Natsu"

"But this is important." As we turn the corner of the ever winding school corridors, people are starting to look at us and wonder what is going on. I try to ignore them as I run after him.

"Please Gray just hear me out. We need to talk"

"About what?"

"About us. There is something serious going on that affects both of us!"

"Oh bite me Flamebrain!"

"That's the point!"

Gray stops and turns around in confusion "What?"

I look around at the crowd of people looking at us, then back to Gray who is still looking a mixture of angry and confused. "Not here" I look around and see an empty classroom next to us so I grab his wrist and drag him in shutting the door. I turn back to face Gray folding his arms while standing in the middle of the room.

"You have two minutes. What's this all about Natsu."

I take a deep breath. "Remember how we did that spell when we were younger?" The question was rhetorical but I wait for Gray to nod in understanding.

"Well. That spell is meant to be used for what dragon slayers during a time called the mating season. As you might know, during the mating season is when a dragon or dragonslayer claims his or her ideal mate and they both create a bond that lasts for life." Gray nods again but doesn't speak so I carry on.

"The mating season only truly arrives for dragon slayers once they have hit 18 years of age. It happens every year since they turn 18 in the Spring until they have claimed a mate. Since we started the ritual all of those years ago and the season for me is coming up in 3 months time, the magic that we infused into each other is causing us to want to complete the ritual. But because you are only a half-claimed mate, other dragon slayers are trying to take away my claim from you and make you their own."

Gray's eyes turn wide once I have finished. He holds his hand out and points at me. "Hold on. You are saying that I am already half claimed by you and because we didn't finish it, I am up to be claimed by another dragonslayer? Like I am some form of property that dragon slayers can take for their own?" Shit he is angry. I probably should have worded it better. I look back at him with a sympathetic look. This is definitely not the best news for Gray to hear right now but he needs to know.

"In a way yes. Which means that we have one of two options. Either you let one of the other available dragon slayers claim you or you finish the ritual with me in three months time when the season starts"

Gray stands and looks at me stunned. I sigh and lower my stance in defeat "I am so sorry Gray. If there was any way that I could get you out of this I would. But because you were partially claimed, you have no other choice"

"So you are saying that they are my only two options? What if I don't let myself be claimed by any dragonslayer? Can I opt out somehow?"

I shake my head. "Not that I know of. As you and I have both experienced, the magic in the ritual is very powerful and once you are subjected to it in one way or another, there is no way of getting out of it. As I was born with dragonslayer magic, I never had a choice but I brought you into this and I am so sorry that I can not get you out of it and let you be with someone that is not a dragon slayer….. if that was what you wanted." My voice dropped as I forced out the last bit. As much as my heart hurt saying it, I knew that somewhere there was a possibility that Gray would not have wanted to be with a dragonslayer, let alone me. He could have been with someone else, Juvia even, and been happy but now I have dragged him into this situation thanks to my own stupidity as a child. I can not undo it at all but it kills me to think that he would want to be with someone else other than me anyway.

Gray tightens his folded arms and looks down, hiding his face with his hair. I do the same trying to pluck up the courage to tell him that I love him. If there is any good time to tell him that I do, it would be now. It makes so much sense since he has already told me that he loves me.

I open my mouth to speak when Gray interrupts me. "Who are the other dragon slayers that are available." Wait? He is actually thinking about this?

"Luckily it is only just myself and Sting. Everyone else has picked who they want to claim or has already claimed them" Gray nods in understanding. Come on Natsu just say those words. SAY THEM!

"But I am not going to let Sting take you away from me." I blurt

Gray looks up in shock and meets my eyes for the first time since we started talking. Okay. That was not what I wanted to say but now that the ball was rolling, my confidence starts to grow. "I was a dick when I didn't say anything back when you asked if I loved you. I was building up the courage to say something and I never managed to in time before you walked off. But now that we are talking again for the moment, I am going to answer your question."

I walk towards him so that I am filling his eye sight. I need to make these words count. Gray is still looking straight at me so I take a deep breath and start. "Yes." Gray's gasps silently in shock. "I love you Gray. I am 100%, fully, irrevocably, insanely, whole-heartedly in love with you. I have loved you for years and I have always wished that I would get this moment to tell you how I really feel, only dreaming that you would love me back. If you will have me, I want to complete the mating ritual with you and claim you as my own for the rest of our lives. I want to walk around hand in hand and cheer from the rooftops that you are my claimed mate and grow old with you still by my side. To be mate for life! There will never be anyone else for me but you."

While I still maintain the eye contact with Gray, I notice a small tear running down his cheek, so I cup the right side of his face and wipe the tear away with my thumb. He doesn't move away. He doesn't say anything. He just stares back at me with what looks like shock.

"I love you Gray. I always have" I whisper to him leaning my head further forwards we are now nose to nose. I look down to his thin pink lips. I have fantasised about kissing those lips for years and my fantasy is about to become a reality. We are both caught up in the moment, his beautiful winter scent filling my nose, overtaking my mind and without any warning, I lean forward even more and place a soft kiss on his lips. Gray gasps at the touch but does not pull away so I kiss him again, this time with a little more pressure. I need to kiss him. There is no other way right now that the ice bucket is going to get into his head that I love him. I kiss him again. And again. And again, each time with a little more force before his stance softens and his arms are wrapped around my neck pulling me closer to him. I take my hand off his face and place both of them around his waist feeling around his body to make sure that this is not a dream. We kiss for a while before his tongue gentle caresses my lips. I gladly allow him entry and let his tongue explore mine.

We are lost in our own world for a few minutes before we break apart, still enclosed in each other's arms.

I decide to break the ice first. "Does this mean that you still love me?"

Gray chuckles and nods. "I think so flame brain."

My grip on him tightens in my joy and I beam at him, my teeth showing brightly through my smile. "So what do you say?"

"To what?"

"Completing the ritual with me"

Gray's mouth hangs open slightly, not sure on what to say. I can feel him shaking in my grasp, his mind reeling over the connotations of what I am asking him to do with me. "I need time. I want to date you and all but I don't want to rush into anything that I don't want to regret. Completing the ritual...it's like a marriage to me. Once it is done, there is no undoing it so.. I need time to think everything through and make sure that I want to do this with you for the right reasons."

I nod. "I understand. Take as much time as you need. But in the meanwhile….. will you go out with me?" I chuckle

He smiles "Definitely" I beam and hug him and kiss him gently

"I love you Gray Fullbuster" I whisper when we break apart again.

"I love you too Natsu" He whispers back sending my heart alight.

* * *

And that's all for now! Yay they are finally together! Im so sorry that I am not updating every week like I originally promised. The joys of life have got in the way and with planning a wedding and moving house while working a 45hr week, I am not finding enough time to update a lot. I am so glad that all of you are reading this still! I am thoroughly enjoying writing my first proper Gray x natsu fanfic and I thank you all so much for reading it! If you are wanting something more Nalu (Natsu x lucy) related aswell, I am also starting another nalu fanfic which will be out sometime after I finish this one (no set number of chapters on either story yet ;P)

Please dont forget to comment, follow etc. Everything that you guys do honestly makes my day :) xxx


	9. Chapter 9

HEY GUYS! IN THIS CHAPTER THERE IS SOME M RATED MATERIAL (I.E. MATURE CONTENT)! IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO READ, I WILL PUT A WARNING WHEN IT IS STARTING AND YOU CAN MOVE ONTO THE NEXT CHAPTER! IF NOT AND YOU WISH TO READ IT I HOPE YOU ENJOY IT AND PLEASE BARE IN MIND YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED IF YOU DO NOT LIKE WHAT YOU READ!

* * *

After confessing to each other, Gray and I had decided to take things slow up until the mating ritual in three months time. I did warn him that I would change over the period coming up to it and I would want to be with him all of the time and be more protective of him, which he didn't seem to mind.

Everyone surprisingly took the news of us dating quite well. A lot of them were really surprised since we had not shown any signs of liking each other before, but after a week or so of us holding hands and kissing in public, they got over it pretty quickly.

The same however would not be said for either of our parents. We decided that so that we could hang out after school, we would start small and come clean about us being friends to our parents. I decided to go first and tell my parents last night over dinner. My Mum and my sister were happy for me but my Dad was fuming! He constantly told me about how he should not be in my life because of the "curse" that I placed on us but I shouted back and told him to bite me and walked away. For good measure before I walked away, I shouted out that Lucy and I were not together anymore and watched as my Dad's face turned even more to shock. Tsk that'll show him.

None of that was probably the best thing that I could have said at the time but it was enough for him to get the message.

Tonight was Gray's turn so I anxiously waited in my room, half reading a book and half staring at my phone waiting for Gray to call me.

I checked my watch. It's 9 pm! What is taking him so long! Has Gray told them yet? How have they reacted? If Gray could not tell them that we are friends, how are we going to tell them about the mating ritual?! Will Gray go ahead with it? What if he doesn't? I guess we could always wait until next year. There technically is no rush. But what about Sting? Oh Mavis what am I going to do about Sting? I need to hook him up with someone then he can forget about Gray so I don't have to worry about it. I can not let Gray out of my sight at school! At least I warned Gray of what Sting wants…. But what if Sting is who Gray actually wants? What if he wants to know what it's like to be with a guy and then leave me for Sting! How could Gray do that to me! I thought he told me that he loved me!

I am suddenly snapped out of my thoughts with Gray's face filling the screen on my phone. I shake my head in disgust. I can't believe my thoughts went that dark that quickly! I guess the dragon side of me is becoming too dominant for my own liking. I really need to learn to reign it in, infront of Gray until this is all over and I've claimed him properly.

Either way, I answer the call and hold the phone to my ear. Hello?"

"Hey flame-brain. Hows things in dragonsville?"

I chuckle "Not bad. My Dad is refusing to talk to me since last night so you know…the usual. Have you told Ur yet?"

"Yeah. She surprisingly took it well. She kind of knew it was coming since we were in the same school together and all so they didn't really mind at all."

"That's good. At least is Ur okay with us being friends again."

"To be fair, it's only your Dad that is against the idea. If they found out about—"

"Woah! Remember my walls have ears!" I whisper cutting him off.

"Even on a phone call?"

"Surprisingly the worst way to find out anything in this house. You can not have a single private phone call without the whole house listening."

"Oh the joys of dragon slayer hearing eh?" Gray joked and I laughed. After a few moments of silence I spoke again. "Do you think your Mum and Dad would have accepted it?"

"…..Probably not. Dad was the one who separated us in the first place remember?"

I chuckled "I guess."

"To be honest Natsu, it's been 10 years since they passed. I would like to have thought that they would think differently if they knew the truth"

A somber mood filled the conversation as that thought came over us. Ten years ago Gray's Mum and Dad were murdered by a mad man while they were visiting some family in their old village. Luckily Gray had been camping with me but the thought still haunts him every day that he should have been there. My thoughts were cut off suddenly hearing Gray's voice again "Listen if you want to talk properly, my house is free. Ur has gone out for her usual nightly walk before bed."

"But it's snowing outside" I complain

Gray chuckles "Well it is January flamebrain. Plus I'm an ice mage! This is nothing to me remember."

I grin "True."

"Anyway. My House. Now. You free?" He asked. I beamed with excitement

"I'll be there in 5."

"You remember where i live?"

"Pftt please!" I jest hanging up and grabbing my shoes and coat.

As I reach the door I see Mum sitting in the living room so I decide to walk in seeing her sitting on the sofa reading a book.

"Hey Mum. I'm going over to Gray's house"

She looks up at me "Okay. Be careful out there. Don't want you caught in the snow"

"Mum. I'm a fire dragon slayer. I can just melt the snow"

She giggles. "Of course. Have fun and don't be home too late!" I grin and I run out the door and make my way across the street to Gray's house.

*******M RATING STARTS HERE! MOVE ONTO NEXT CHAPTER IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO READ IT!***********

I knock the door and Gray answers straight away. "Waiting for me were you?" I joke

"Maybe a bit" He smirks. He stands to the side to let me in and shuts the door behind me. The next thing I know, I am slammed against the door with my hands being held tight above my head with one of Gray's hands while the other wraps around my waist. Gray's body is slowly rubbing against mine and his nose barely touching mine.

"I've finally caught you dragon" He whispers, slamming his lips onto mine.

We stay there for a few moments, lost in each other as our lips explore each others and those words flood my senses. Gray's one hand still holding mine in place and the other creeping up my back, lightly trailing my spine causing me to shiver. God this man is sex on legs. I felt his lips move from mine and they moved to my neck. I tilted my head slightly to give him more access as he slowly started to ride my shirt up to take it off. As my skin was exposed more and more, my dragon instincts kicked in and using what little sense I had left before it turned to putty in Gray's hands, in one swift movement, I shoved my hands forward to get them out of his grasp and grabbed the bottom of his t-shirt, ripping it off him exposing his oh so gorgeous abs that I have admired for years from afar. I chuckle to myself. I still couldn't believe my luck. The man in front of me is all mine now.

With that thought in my mind, I grab him before he gets a chance to again. This time I remove my own shirt and attack his neck with my lips, stopping my dragon instinct from biting him as much as I could in the process. I hear a slow moan resonate through him and I grin knowing I have him where I want him now.

"Natsu" he moans "Not here."

Before Gray says another word, he moves away and grabs my hand, dragging me upstairs to a small dark blue room. Before I get a chance to look around, I feel Gray's hand on my waist again and I am turned around, causing me to lose my footing and land straight onto the king size bed' black covers. In the same eye line, I catch Gray removing his trousers in seconds showing him naked except from his boxers which are struggling to keep the bulge in his boxers from coming out. He climbs on top of me, attacking my lips again and making his way down my exposed stomach which I laid there, eyes closed, enjoying in the feel of his lips on me in every way possible. Thank God I worked out I sighed in relief.

He kissed down my abs one by one going further south until he reached my trousers. I got up leaning back on my elbows watching his as he looked to me for permission to unbuckle my belt. No matter how much I wanted this, I wanted to do things right.

"Are you sure?" I ask. God I wanted this, but I wanted to make sure that he was doing this for his own reasons and not to try and make me happy.

"I wouldn't do it otherwise" He answers smirking, leaning up again to kiss me once more deeply. The heat around us rose and it took everything in my power to not dominate him and take him right there and then. But I was waiting for that moment. I wanted it to be something special and not rushed. As I continued kissing him, Gray set to work on unbuckling my belt and gliding his hand down my pants to my erection which was currently attempting to break out of my jeans.

"I like" Gray murmers in my ear "I think we should do this more often" I smirked. Gray and I had got into the habit of making out when I went to his, but we never got any further than the shirts coming off. Tonight was the furthest that we had ever gone since we started going out and boy, was I not planning on letting this moment go.

"Keep going" I pant as I feel his hand start to play with my cock, rubbing up and down my shaft slowly, teasing me.

"I think I've found out how to tame the beast" Gray smirked as my arousal started to pulse and my panting got a little heavier.

"Gray!" I moaned loudly as the pleasure he was giving me overwhelmed me and was bringing me close. I lean my head back and close my eyes, taking in all of the sensations around me. As a dragon slayer, my sense were already heightened and right now, I was overcome. I wanted this moment to last forever.

As I moan once more from the feel of Gray's hand around me, I just about feel the sensation of Gray pulling my boxers down freeing my erection. Grabbing one of my hands that was holding me up, Gray pulls it to grab his free erection. I gasp at the feel of it in my hand and in my wild state, I set to work quickly pumping fast up and down, making sure to hit all of the spots I know I like when I masturbate. While still in a dreamy haze, I open my eyes and notice black hair moving further down kissing my thighs, my stomach, all around the area that I am desperate for him to go.

"Gray" I whimper knowing that this man before me is making into a quivering mess with his touch alone.

"Ssh." He answers placing kissing on my body closer to my erection each time. As I whimper again, enjoying the feel of his hard on pulsing in my hand and his lips on my body, Gray grabs my cock with his other hand and suddenly leaves a peck on the tip of my cock. I jolt up in surprise. Wow it is sensitive as hell there! That felt amazing! I hear the bastard chuckle as he sees what his lips do to me and kisses me again.

"More" I moan lifting my hips towards his mouth more.

"Greedy as always are we?"

"Please!" I moan again a little louder. "Please I- OH GOD!"

Before I say anything more Gray's mouth enveloped my cock, moving up and down slowly, his lips tightening on my shaft. I jolt again as his cold lips envelope me again and again, moving faster and faster. My hand on Gray's cock continued to pump faster, his shaft growing thicker, telling me he was ready to come. And boy was I ready too.

"Gray… I'm gonna-"

Gray moaned around me in response, the vibrations being my undoing as I let go of everything, I fall flat onto the bed and surrender to my orgasm. I feel my body float up into the air momentarily, riding my orgasm to the max and as I float down to Earth, I open my eyes to see Gray lying on my stomach, panting.

"Wow" Was all I could say

"Yeah" Gray chuckled, moving himself slightly to lie next to me. Gray's chuckle resonates through me, lighting me up inside and causing me to laugh with him for no reason. As the laughter dies, we both end up staring into each others eyes. There is so much to those eyes I can not even begin to describe. There was an abyss in there and it took all that I could not to get lost in them for too long. I leaned my head forward and gently pressed my lips to Gray's. God I love the feel of those lips on mine. The cold smoothness of them always soothed my warm chapped lips. Given half the chance I could kiss them all day.

I move away slightly. Just enough so that I can look into his eyes properly so he could see the meaning of my words.

"What did I do to deserve you in my life?" I mutter, just loud enough for him to hear, while moving a bit of hair from his face.

"I should be saying that to you"

I smile and Gray smiles with me kissing me just as sweetly as I just did to him.

"I love you Natsu"

"I love you too"

* * *

Hey guys! Welcome back to I Hate You But I Love You! I apologise deeply for not updating any sooner. I have had no time to update whatsoever so I appreciate everyone that has still stayed and has read to the very end of this chapter!

I can not promise to update more frequently because my wedding is soon so I will be even more busy than I am right now. I am still writing this story every now and again, it is just not as frequent as I used to be at the moment.

Either way I can not stress enough how much your support helps for this story! If you guys didn't like it, I wouldn't publish it! So please comment, PM, follow, favourite etc any ideas of what you would like to see, any characters I may be missing out on etc?

Will see you when I next update! Love to all! xx


	10. Chapter 10

Gray POV

"I've told you a hundred times before and I'll tell you again! Leave me alone Sting!" I groaned while shutting my locker for break. Ever since Natsu and I exclusively became a couple, Sting has come up to me like clockwork in between periods at school. It used to be before and after school as well but Natsu was always there to stake his claim pretty quickly. Natsu wasn't lying when he told me that he would be very protective of me as it got closer to the ritual. Ever since we got intimate for the first time a few weeks ago, the bastard has been by my side as much as possible. Not that I always complained about it, but it would be nice to have some peace and quiet every now and again. After an argument or two, it finally came down to Natsu walking with me to and from school and meeting up for lunch. Other than that we had our own time apart so we didn't kick each other's heads in, especially in class together.

"Come on Gray! Just get to know me. I'm much better than Natsu-san!"

I turned around to face Sting and jumped a little when I realised that Sting was standing very close behind me. "I thought you idolise Natsu"

Sting put a hand on the locker behind me leaning over and used his other hand to twirl a piece of my hair in his hand. "I very much do, but I want you to be with someone else. Someone who will treat you better than he does"

"Natsu and I are fine the way we are. Natsu may be a handful but I love him and I don't love you. End of" I looked right into Sting's eyes to make sure my point was clear. "Now can we please stop this little game you are playing because I am tired of it. I have a boyfriend who happens to be Natsu, everyone in the school knows it and has accepted us, why can't you?"

"Because I don't want you to be with Natsu"

I scoff "Because it is that simple. I am already halfway to being his mate Sting! He made sure of that years ago when we made our promises to each other as kids"

"True. But I'm sure you didn't know what you were really promising did you? Bet you must be really angry with Natsu about that?" He smirks "That's not treating a mate properly now is it?"

"He was young! I have already forgiven him Sting"

"But he has forced you into this unforgiving situation. He has ruined your life. You could have been with anyone else, but now because of something that was done so long ago, you are never going to be with someone else for the rest of your life!"

A lump hit at the back of my throat as I held back tears of anger. I just shake my head, not knowing what to say.

Sting cocks his head to the side "Am I hitting a nerve here?" he taunts. I tighten my fists together and grit my teeth muttering a mantra in my head to steady myself. Hold your tongue Gray. Be the better man.

"Don't" Is all I can say

"Don't what? Say what is true? Natsu has put you into this situation that you can not get out of"

"I don't want to get out of it Sting. I love him"

"Are you sure?" His question shocked me

"O-of course"

"Because since you two made your vows, that means that you shared blood already, so maybe having Natsu's blood in your system caused your feelings to manifest and make you think that you love him"

I feel my stomach lurch at the thought and shake my head again. "Dragon slayer blood doesn't do that."

"Really? So you know about a certain bite that dragon slayers can do already? It's a good thing I warned you of this now before Natsu forces you"

"I know that he has to bite me in the ritual. That's common knowledge"

"Oh no. I meant the other one. The one where a dragon slayer can bite a mate and make them fall in love with them unwillingly. That can be anytime as well. No ritual needed. It's all linked in with dragon slayers blood. A bite is our way of marking our territory and causes a change for our blood so it can merge more with yours, marking our dominance over you. It makes you 100% ours.

I shake my head again and grit my teeth, getting closer to his face. "Natsu would never do that to me and he doesn't need to because I know that I love him without the need for magical properties in his blood. So don't even think that you can twist this so that you make me hate him"

Sting chuckles "You saw straight through that eh?"

I smirk "Well I wouldn't put it past you to try and make me hate Natsu so that we would break up. I was just waiting for you to pull something like that"

"Hmm..very good Gray. Maybe you are not such a bad mate after all. It's a shame that it is wasted on Natsu. But I want Natsu to be happy and I will make sure that he is very happy. Even if it means taking drastic measures."

I lift an eyebrow in question "What do you mean?"

"Oh come on now. Do you really think it's you that I am after?"

My eyes widen "What?"

"Don't flatter yourself. Did you really think that all of this flirting with you was for your benefit? It was to prove to Natsu that you can not be trusted but you have sadly managed to live up to the task of being loyal so far. Natsu should not have a mate like you. He should be with someone who is loyal, will always be at his side and should be able to match him in magic strength to fight alongside him and not against him. It's not too late to change your mind. You are human. Very fickle creatures who take what they want until they suddenly change their mind at the last minute. But once you do that sacred ritual there is no backing out. It is for life! This is our version of your marriages."

I grit my teeth "I am fully aware of it and I am ready to make that vow again!"

"Are you sure? I can hear your heart hammering hard against your chest when you lie and yours is beating pretty quickly right now" Sure enough, I could feel the blood pumping fast in my ears.

"I'm angry. There is a difference."

Sting scoffs. "Hate and love is such a fine line. You just need to make sure that you know which side you are on. Remember. The quicker you end it, the easier it will be on him. He is already starting to get possessive of you and once you guys mate, he will be like that all of the time. Do you really want to be with him like that for the rest of your life?"

With that he tried to walk away but I caught him in time, grabbing his jacket sleeve, pulling him back to me. "Well what about you?"

Sting smirked "What about me?"

"Would you really want all of that? Natsu being around you all of the time? Not giving you any privacy? Completing the mating ritual with him knowing that he will always be there in your face, protecting you because of your dragon natures? Surely two dominant dragon slayers would never work."

"There is only one way to find out isn't there" His eyes grew darker leaning close to me again. This time he was so close, our noses were almost touching. I could smell his musky scent flooding my nose, his magical power pulsing against my own.

"You know that your power can not even scratch the surface of mine Gray. I am a dragon slayer. Far more powerful than your little snowflake power. I know who you are and how everyone around you that you have ever loved has died. Do you really want the same fate for Natsu? Or are you just trying to make yourself feel better knowing that you can have a trusty dragon slayer around. Natsu is not your bodyguard. You are nothing in comparison to me. I am trying to protect Natsu from getting hurt from you and your curse. I am warning you now. I will have Natsu as my mate and I will make sure that Natsu knows how wrong you are for him."

Suddenly a low growl was heard next to us and heat was spreading everywhere. We both turned to look at Natsu who was covered in flames and growling at Sting baring his teeth.

"Sting. How many times have I told you to stay away from Gray"

Sting held his hands up in protest "I'm just talking to him Natsu. I want to make sure that he doesn't hurt you. You know, a dragon slayer looking after his own"

"Well Gray does not need it. Back off. This is the last time I expect to see you with him, otherwise my fist and your face will be having a nice chat"

"Okay. Okay you win. No need to burn the place down. I'll leave." Sting turned to face me "Remember what I said Gray" With that he turned and walked away.

When Sting was gone, Natsu came up to me and kissed me "What did the bastard say to you"

"Nothing"

"Didn't look like nothing. I'll punch him if he threatened you"

"No. No it's fine. Like he said. He was just testing me to see if I am a good mate for you" I know I should be telling Natsu the truth but I can not help but thinking that some of the things Sting said to me were true. I did have a 'curse' of losing all of my family and friends that I loved. Did I really want the same thing to happen to Natsu? Of course not! But I can not tell him that Sting is after him either. He would never believe me!

Natsu scowled. "Fine. Anyway I know I would normally meet you at lunch but I wanted to ask you something. Lucy is having her family winter ball this weekend. Would you want to go?"

Of course the family winter ball! How could I forget?! It is all that Lucy has been talking about for months! I smiled at Natsu and nodded "Of course" Natsu smiled.

"Great. Lucy is going to bring a car for us in the evening! Don't forget your tux" He said kissing me once more. I smiled once more as Natsu walked to his next class. I couldn't believe that he believed my lie. At least it was better than telling him about Sting's true intentions. I clenched my fist at the thought. How dare Sting think that he can take Natsu from me.

My eyes narrowed as I made a promise to myself.

I will protect Natsu, what ever it takes!

* * *

Hey all! Apologies for my lack of updating! Life has been stupidly hectic! No excuses needed. Anyway I hope you like this chapter! This is where the Sting x Natsu section of the story comes into play!

Who would you rather Natsu be with? Sting or Gray?

Don't forget to comment and let me know what you think! Hopefully uploading the next update will not take so long!


	11. Chapter 11

Natsu POV

"Natsu! A large black car is here for you!"

"Coming!" I shout back, bolting down the stairs to see a large black limousine waiting outside the house. Knowing it as one of Lucy's family cars, I shouted my goodbyes and checked myself in the mirror. Tonight was the Heartfilia ball, so I decided to go for a smart casual look. I was wearing a black fitted suit with a salmon pink shirt to match my hair colour and a thin black tie. Happy with my appearance, I ran out to the car and saw Gray had already got in to the seat next to mine.

"Hey!" I said beaming, glad that I didn't have to wait for him.

"Hello yourself" He smirked and gave me a kiss.

"G-Gray! My parents might see us!" I said alarmed

"I don't care if they can. It's blacked out glass anyway they won't see us."

I smile as I let him kiss me again. Butterflies filled me with the thought that we could get caught at any moment. As we parted Gray smiled at me. "Thank you for letting me come along"

I chuckled "Thank Lucy. It's her party"

"I know, but originally you were meant to go with her as your date so….. what I'm trying to say is…..I'm glad you are not with her right now and you're here with me" I beam and give Gray one more kiss. "I love you"

"I love you too" I answer "Now onto serious matters. Who do you bet will be the first to get drunk- and Cana doesn't count!"

As we pulled up to the Heartfilia mansion, there was no doubt that they had pulled out all of the stops. Since it was a winter themed ball, all of the grounds and the front of the mansion had been covered in snow, there was fake snow falling over the entrance of the mansion and there were snowmen figurines and even live reindeer outside for us all to see! Walking in to the mansion, you could see that this was a well turned out event. Hordes of people were making their way towards the back of the mansion, with the help of the staff, around to a large white draped marquee where their large dining room would normally be situated. This was a winter wonderland and as I looked over to Gray, I could tell that, as an ice mage, he was in heaven! Me on the other hand? Not so much since it was cold, but the wonder on Gray's face was enough for me to not complain. Without thinking I grabbed his hand and gave it a squeeze. It broke him out of his thoughts and he squeezed my hand back.

"Natsu! Gray!" I turned around to find Lucy standing behind us with Loke.

"Wow Lucy. You look amazing!" I said admiring her before me. She was wearing an ice blue strapless dress with silver snowflakes dotted around the dress and her hair was in a twisted bun with little strands of hair framing her face. I would have been proud to be her date. Almost, if not more, as proud as Loke standing next to Luce in a black tuxedo with his arm around her waist.

Lucy blushed "Thank you. You guys look great too! I'm so glad you two came. It would be nice to have some more people our own age here. I'm waiting for Erza, Jellal, Gajeel and Levy to turn up, but there are a few others here from other families that my Father insisted turn up. Just a small heads up guys, Sting and Rogue are here"

I instantly scowled and tighten my hold on Gray's hand that I forgot I was secretly holding until I heard him wince from my grip being too tight.

"Why is Sting here?" I quietly growl

"I had no choice. My Father wants to make a business arrangement with Sting's family to increase the business, so naturally the whole family got invited tonight. I promise he will not be here for long. I don't think the Eucliffes are party people."

I see Gray match my scowl. "Let's hope not"

"Come on guys. This is Lucy's party. Can we all agree to behave while we are here?" Loke says sternly. Gray and I nod in agreement. He is right. Tonight is for being with friends, getting drunk and having a laugh. We can always deal with Sting on Monday at school.

"Right! To the bar!" Loke shouts out before Lucy shushes him. "I can't be seen getting drunk tonight" Lucy complained

"Oh lighten up. Wait an hour when everyone else is drunk and no one will notice a thing" Gray commented.

Gray, as always was right. About an hour or two later, everyone else had turned up, the drinks were flowing and the string quartet that has been playing beautiful music in the background to welcome us in had changed to a full band that had most people dancing on the mirror dance floor in the middle of the room. It was safe to say that it was a great night so far. Lucy had come up with an idea for a drinking game where if we saw any form of bad dancing, or if something in particular was said to any who came up to Lucy to congratulate her and her family on a great night. We eventually added that we needed to down our drinks if Lucy got introduced to a son of the person greeting her and an extra shot everytime Lucy mentioned that she was with Loke. The only thing we could say was that we were glad that it was a free bar!

For most of the night, Gray had not left my side. As the drinks kept flowing more, the more handsy he got. First his arm was around my waist, then the more he drunk, the further south his hand went. Now his hand was comfortably resting fully on my arse, while my head was snuggly resting on his shoulders. I could happily fall asleep right now in Gray's arms.

Lucy put down her shot glass for what seemed like the hundredth time and smiled at us. "I think we need to go dancing!"

"What no!" The girls all cheered while the guys moaned.

"Come on Gajeel!" Levy shouted, grabbing Gajeel by his arm to the dance floor with Lucy and Loke following behind. Erza sighed and looked to me "Are you going to join them?" I laughed at Erza "When have you ever seen me dance?"

"Remember those dancing lessons we all took for our school ball?" Erza reminded me. I shivered at the thought. To start of with I had Lucy who was a good partner and taught me well, but then Erza came along and was my partner for a while… my toes curled in on themselves unconsciously for protection, just thinking about how that went

"That was mandatory and they taught us ballroom dancing! Other than that have you ever seen me dance?" I ask her

Erza shrugs "That's true. But this time you have someone who can really dance to help you out" She says nudging to Gray who's face was growing redder by the minute. "I'm not the good of a dancer!"

"Oh really!" I shout back "Remember at Jellal's new years eve party where you could not stop impersonating Michael Jackson just because you found a white fedora!"

"I was drunk! I can not be held for my actions when I'm drunk!" Gray shouted out and we all fell about laughing.

"Come on. One dance will not hurt you know" With that Erza grabbed Jellal by the hand and dragged him to the floor. I looked to Gray "Do you want to?"

Gray smirked "Why not" With that he stood up, took my hand and dragged me down to where everyone else was dancing. We had just got to the end of an upbeat song when the tempo slowed a bit and everyone started pairing up to dance together. I gulped as Gray grabbed me with his hands around my waist and placed my hands on his upper arms. I could feel my face turning bright red at what we were doing.

"Gray!" I protested. "What if anyone saw us and reported back to my parents"

"I don't care anymore. Honestly I am done hiding us Natsu" I gasped "We have been going out for a while now and we are going to be mates in a few months time. If Igneel and Grandine found out then fuck them. You are the one that I love. You have chosen me as your mate and I am proud of that. I can't wait to do the ritual with you. It means that you are mine and I am yours. For good."

I chuckled. I suddenly felt like I should be in the corner with my tail between my legs. I should be the one saying those things to Gray, not the other way around. I beam at what he said meant. He wanted to be with me. He truly loved me. He wanted to do the ritual with me. I decided to be bold and I kissed him gently on the lips and buried my face in the crook of his neck, relaxing. I was home.

A few slow dances later, the music picked up and I started to relax more about what people thought. Maybe the alcohol had gotten to me more than I thought because I head started to spin. I needed to sober up quickly.

"I'm heading to the bar do you want anything?" I shouted into Gray's ear so he could hear me.

"I'll come with you"

I shook my head "I'll be fine don't worry"

"But what about Sting or Rogue?"

"We haven't seen them in hours. They've probably gone home"

Gray looked a little uneasy and eventually nodded his head "Alright. Get me beer and another round of shots. I think we are going to need them soon" He said pointing over to some weird older guy in a suit attempting to do the robot dance. I laugh "You're on. Be back in a minute." I kissed him "Love you"

With that I made my way to the bar. Since it was an open bar, the cues were packed, but not so bad that we were not served within a minute or two. The staff here were really earning their keep tonight trying to keep us all satisfied. As I made my way to the front, I was ready to order my drinks when I suddenly smelt something familiar next to me.

"I was wondering when I was going to get a minute alone with you Natsu-san." I heard from behind me. I shuddered as I turned around and found Sting standing behind me.

"I thought you had gone home" I said, my tone as arctic as I could make it.

"Oh I did. But I came back knowing that I needed to speak to you about something. I've just been biding my time while your boyfriend has been all over you all night."

"Stay away from Gray Sting." I threatened

"Oh I know Natsu-san" He answered, his hands in the air, faking surrender "But you said nothing about leaving you alone. It's you that I want to talk to anyway"

I look back at my table to see Gray talking to Erza and laughing with the others. He should not notice if I am gone for a minute. "Fine. Five minutes. That's all you are getting"

Sting smirks "That's all the time I need."

I fold my arms "What then?"

Sting shook his head. "Not here. I need to speak to you privately. There is a terrace just outside here. No one can hear us there."

I huff. "Fine"

"Temperamental as always" He muttered as he walked outside, with me following behind. As we reached outside, where the music was not as loud, Sting turned around. I folded my arms again in defence. "What is so important Sting?"

"I wanted to apologise" I cocked my eyebrow in disbelief "Seeing you with Gray tonight made me realise how happy you are and for that I am sorry that I got in the way. I won't do it anymore"

I stood back shocked. What has brought this on? I wasn't buying this for a minute!

"You don't look like you believe me"

"Of course I don't. You want to mate with Gray. That impulse just doesn't go away magically"

"Sadly no, but I know when I have been bested. In a way it was like a test to see how you two would be as a mates if you think about it."

"Wait what?" This guy can not be serious!

"Yeah. I kind of have this thing of wanting to make sure that you are happy Natsu and me wanting Gray, helped to show me that Gray is loyal to you. It's what we dragon slayers do. I'm sure you have tested Gray in his own ways to see if he was worthy of you" I scowl. I guess in my own ways I have over the years as I grew to love him more.

"What of it. It is not for you to decide who I mate with" I answer angrily

"I know and again I am sorry. It was wrong for me to do that. I apologise immensely and I hope that we can be friends after the ritual. I want to make it up to you. This is not how I normally am. My dragon instincts get the better of me sometimes. I'm sure you get it to with Gray right?"

"Tsk" I looked at Sting's eyes as they frowned, showing how apologetic he was. Part of me believed him, but part of me could smell that something was still not right. But I couldn't help but think about Sting's words. I guess lately I have been a bit clingy to Gray. But he has never really complained. My dragon instincts do definitely have a mind of their own and they do overwhelm me sometimes. Some people think that I have a bad temper, when in fact it's my dragon urges becoming powerful. As much as I would hate to admit it out loud, I do agree with Sting slightly.

"Fine. I can relate to the dragon urges. But it doesn't mean that I still trust you around Gray! He is still my mate, ceremony or no ceremony. He is the one that I have chosen" I state firmly

Sting holds his hands up again in defeat. "I completely understand. I promise you I am not going to go after Gray anymore. He is all yours."

Hesitantly I nod in acceptance. At least we have come to an understanding. Just before I go to leave Sting stops me.

"Wait" He holds out his hand for me to shake. "I really would like us to be friends Natsu. Dragon slayers need to stick together. So…truce?"

Just to get this over with, I grabbed his hand and suddenly felt a sting in my hand and a shock run through my body. I felt my legs give out and my body lurched forward towards Sting who caught me and wrapped his arms around me to hold me up. I tried to stand myself up but my body wasn't answering me. There was nothing I could do but rely on Sting to hold me up, my body was paralysed! What the hell is happening to me!

I managed to move my head enough to look up at Sting who was grinning widely, his eyes bulging.

"Finally I have you in my ams Natsu. You see, it was never Gray that I was after. It was the truth that I tested you to see if you were a good mate or not, and like I suspected, you did not disappoint. Say good bye to Gray, Natsu. You are going to be wanting someone else when you wake up"

My eyes widened. No this can not be happening! No! He would not dare! That sneaky bastard! I tried to wriggle out of his hold, but nothing happened. My body felt like lead. I tried to call out to someone who could hear us. My face had gone completely numb. Why couldn't anybody see that I was gone? Where was Gray? Can't anybody see us?

"Don't worry Natsu, the numbing drug will ware off by morning." He smirked. With that I saw his face come down towards me. I felt him kiss me on my forehead, then my lips. I tried to scream, move, punch the bastard. How dare he! My lips are for Gray only! With no hesitation, he moved his mouth to my neck and I inwardly screamed as I felt a sharp pain in my neck! Shit no! He was claiming me! He can't do this! This is forbidden! I felt the unfamiliar surge of magic run through me as the pain increased on my neck. I felt my magic rising trying to counteract what I presume to be Sting's magic trying to run through my body. I already had Gray's magic in me from years ago and I could feel the coldness of his magic trying to fight Sting's white light magic. My body became an overwhelming core of temperatures. My fire dragonslayer magic was dominant and was burning so brightly trying to fight off Sting that I could feel myself getting weaker by the second. As much as I was trying to fight it, I could feel my vision blurring and my eyelids closing. This can not be happening! No! I need to fight for Gray! I need to stay awake! Where is he! I need him!

"That's it Natsu. Let it happen. Don't fight it."

I tried until there was nothing left in me. There was nothing I could do. I fought for what felt like hours but could have easily been seconds in real life. The dragon inside of me was crying out for me to do something. Anything. But I was too tired from inwardly fighting.

Suddenly another rush of magic came through me over where Sting bit me, causing me to cry out. "Gray!"

Then everything went black.

* * *

So what do you all think?!

Thank you everyone for your comments, favs, follows and PMs. I really so appreciate them all!

As always lately apologises for the late update. My wedding is in three weeks time -eek!- and everything is going mad trying to get everything done in time! Lots of time last minute wedding planning, not enough time to write my ff. I write whenever I get the opportunity and I am so grateful that you guys still come back and read this when I do upload :D

See you next time! xxx


	12. Chapter 12

I am so comfy right now, I really do not want to move. I try to anyway and feel softness. Everywhere. I am surrounded by softness. The smell of fresh linens surrounds me and a feeling of calm washes over me. I feel like I have been sleeping for days and I have only just woken up. Despite my better judgement I shift slightly in my current position and decide to slowly open my eyes. As I take in everything around me, I realise that I am in my bed. That's strange. I was just at Lucy's party a minute ago. How did I get here.

I hold my head in my hands as a pounding headache starts to come over me. Oh don't tell me I got drunk and passed out at Luce's party! Great. She is officially going to kill me tomorrow when I see her at school. I try to move even more but my headache stops me again. I feel a wave of nausea come over and in time I make it to the bathroom to throw up.

I come out of my room again to see that I am not in my pyjamas. I am wearing my boxers and a shirt that is not mine. I put my nose to it and smell the wonderful smell of pine and mint that reminds me so much of Gray. I smile to myself as I think of the moments when we danced and held hands and actually acted like a couple last night. I frown suddenly as the wonderful scent that I love so much gets the best of me and I run to the bathroom to throw up again! No! This can not be happening! I do not get sick!

I come out again and decide to sit myself back into bed. I lay down, pressing my nose into Gray's smell on his shirt again and again that feeling of nausea fills me. Knowing that I will need to throw up again, not wanting to ruin Gray's shirt, I take it off. But the moment I take off the shirt, I feel ten times better. The headache and the nausea has gone! I shrug to myself. Maybe the smell is really strong on the shirt so it is making my hangover worse. It only takes me until now to wonder. How did I end up with Gray's shirt on in the first place?

My own question was answered when Gray walked into my room with one of my shirts on and two cups of coffee. He smiles weakly at me.

"Morning sleeping beauty. How are you feeling?" The tension in my head starts to come back again. I clutch at my head, pleading for it to stop hurting. What the hell happened last night!

"Morning" I weakly answer

"I brought you coffee" He said putting the mug down so that I could take it. I take a sip and sigh, feeling more awake from the small dose of caffeine my body clearly wanted. Gray sits next to me on the bed, facing me. "How are you feeling?" He asked. Before I could answer, a whiff of his body scent filled my lungs again and I sprinted fast to the toilet again, making sure to put my coffee down first. Priorities first of course.

I come out again feeling more drained. "What cologne have you got on?" I ask

Gray frowns at me. "I'm not wearing anything. I had a shower last night but that was it"

"Well, no offence, your scent at the moment is really strong and it's making me feel sick. How drunk was I last night?"

Gray looks at me sheepishly. "You were not drunk at all last night. You passed out." He looked away, trying to avoid my gaze. "What do you remember of last night Natsu?"

I racked through my brain, trying to remember the smallest detail "We drank, we danced, we were making fun of all of the guests at the party, I remember having a great night." I blank out, trying to remember more but nothing was coming to me. "Then I blacked out. I don't remember anything else"

Gray frowns. "Lucy found your passed out on one of the benches outside last night. We got Gajeel to check you over and even he said that you didn't smell of alcohol that badly to have passed out from it. Luckily the party was dying down when we found you so there were not that many people around to cause a fuss.

I nod understanding. My headache not doing wonders right now to my senses. I looked at Gray again and smiled. "I'm okay. I was probably just tired." I say reassuring him.

Gray smiled "At least you're okay. That's all that matters" He moved a hand to brush my cheeks and as one of his fingers graced over my neck, I screamed out! It felt like his hand just electrocuted me! I grab my face when he had barely touched me and I suddenly felt a throbbing in my neck. Why is it so painful! I feel down the side of my neck where it hurt and all I could feel was heat. As a fire dragonslayer I was used to heat, but this is too hot even for me.

"What the hell is that!" Gray shouted at me in alarm

"I don't know but it really hurts!" I answered holding my neck.

"You have a large white mark on your neck Natsu! How did that get there!"

"I don't know but it hurts!"

"Here let me ice it. See if it helps" He let his ice magic cool his hand, a cool fog waving around it. As it approached my neck, the throbbing became more intense. He moved his hand away and the throbbing calmed down again.

"Let me try one more time" He said "Look away"

Not knowing where he was coming from, I look away, my sore neck still exposed. As I sensed Gray's magic getting closer to me, the throbbing in my neck started to hurt again. His hand this time made contact with the apparent mark on my neck and I screamed loudly moving as far away from Gray as I possibly could whilst staying on the bed.

Gray frowned. "Every time I come near that mark on your neck, it glows."

"Yeah and it practically shocks me when you touch it so stay away ice bastard!" I say holding my hand up to him to stop him getting any closer.

As much as I didn't want to see it, pain and sadness filled Gray's eyes. "I'm sorry Gray. I don't know what happened to me but… I think you need to stay away today so I can find out what's wrong with me?"

Gray shakes his head "No. I am not staying away. You are my boyfriend - I don't care if you're parents can hear me saying this or not - but I love you and care about you and I want to know what is going on!"

With that a heavy source of power was barrelling to my room. "Shit!" I exclaimed "Gray stay behind me"

The next thing we knew I hear three loud slams on my door "Natsu Dragneel open that fucking door! No Grandine I don't care what you have to say! My son is not mating with that Fullbuster boy!"

I fume and with that I open the door to my parents outside.

"You do realise that I can hear every single word you are saying!"

"Good then my point is clear! I want you out of my house! Now!" Igneel bellows at Gray. But he doesn't move.

"No." The word was so quiet that even I had to strain with my enhanced hearing

"What did you say to me?"

"I said no" Gray answered louder "Yes Natsu and I are dating. Yes that spell that Natsu cast all of those years ago is still effective and YES… I will be doing the mating ritual with your son in a few months time! I love Natsu, Mr Dragneel and there is nothing that is going to change that!"

Smoke was filling Igneel's nose as he fumed internally, battling with what to do. It was an unwritten rule. No matter what, no mate or potential mate shall come to harm by another dragon or slayer. Igneel couldn't touch Gray. Definitely not with me in the room. My chest decided to bulk out a bit smugly and I looked over to Gray beaming.

"Well I'm glad it's finally happened" Mom says coming out from behind Igneel and walked over to Gray "I've known ever since you two were children that this would happen. I'm glad that you have grown into a fine young man Gray. Your parents would be so proud" With that Grandine hugged Gray and kissed him on the cheek.

As I smiled at the sweet embrace, I suddenly felt the mood drop. "Natsu, why are you saying that Gray is your mate when he isn't?"

Myself, Gray and my Mom snapped our heads to look at my Father who was looking coldly and almost disappointedly at me.

"Igneel!" Mom huffed "I know you are not happy about Gray and Natsu being together but that is totally unacceptable! You know the rules! You respect another slayer's choice of mate!"

Dad huffed "I know. But I don't think Natsu is being fair to Gray right now"

I looked at Dad with confusion "What do you mean?"

"Why are you saying that you are mated with Gray when you are not?"

"IGNEEL DRAGNEEL! I will not have that kind of accusation in this house!" Mom shouted at him

"Then why has he already been bitten?" Igneel shouted back pointing at my neck. We all gasp.

"Is that what it is? The mark on his neck? It's a bite mark?" Gray's quiet, staggered voice rung in the room leaving us all silent.

Without a word my Mom grabbed my head and turned it to the side, showing off the apparent white mark on my neck. She immediately gasps and covers her mouth with her hands. Her eyes start to water and grabs me in a hug. "Oh Natsu. I am so so sorry"

I look up from Mom's shoulder to see Gray with his face down and his hands in fists.

"I need to ask this Natsu and I will only ask this once. Is there anyone else?" Gray's low even tone shuddered through me causing rage to build in me.

"No! Absolutely not! I have loved only you for years!" I answered

"Then how have you got a bite mark on your neck! There was no one else there that-…." Gray's eyes widened "No. Oh please no!"

My eyes widen "What?"

"Oh I can't believe him!"

"What? Who?" Mom asks

"Sting Eucliffe. He was there last night. He has been after Natsu for a while but he acted like he wanted me to test Natsu's loyalty. He told me once about a bite that can make mates love someone unwillingly but I never thought-." He wipes away his fallen tears and pleads to Mom and Igneel "Please tell me this is not what it is!"

I look to my parents and I see Igneel stern-faced and my Mom on the brink of tears. "I'm sorry Gray"

Gray stands there shocked as I fight back "But I don't feel anything for Sting! Nothing has changed!"

"Do you feel sick when around Gray? Does his scent make you nauseous?" My eyes widen in fear and nod.

"Have you tried to touch the mark Gray?" He nods "Does it hurt" She asks looking at me. I nod.

"That's the marks way of protecting itself against other potential mates. Because Natsu already has Gray's mark in his system, it sees anything to do with Gray as a threat. Even down to his scent."

"But how do we stop this?" I ask panicking. How can this be happening to me?

"I don't know. But luckily it's not fully binding yet. Natsu has to see Sting again for the spell to take effect and they have to do the ritual to make it permanent. If they do the ritual….. then Natsu will forget all about you Gray and will believe that he has been in love with Sting the entire time."

The rage burning inside of me gets the better of me, tears fall down my face and my fist flies out, hitting the wall nearest to me. "I AM NOT SOME PLAYTHING WHO CAN HAVE HIS EMOTIONS TAMPERED WITH! I LOVE GRAY AND GRAY ALONE! NO SPELL IS GOING TO CHANGE THAT!"

The next thing I know, coldness fills me and I feel Gray's arms wrap around me. Feeling the nausea hit me like a wreaking ball, I try to keep it down to savour this moment of Gray's comfort. "I love you Natsu. We'll sort this out" Gray whispers into my ear and in that moment I believe him. Wholeheartedly I believe him. I know that we will get through this together, one way or another. "I love you too" I whisper back. But the moment doesn't last long. I run straight to the bathroom again with my Mom behind me holding my hair.

As I recover from my latest episode, I hear Gray talking to Igneel so I decide to go out and talk to them, but Mom stops me. "No no. Let them talk. This needs to happen if you were going to be properly mated anyway."

"Igneel." I hear Gray's wavering voice "I know that you are not fond of me. But I beg you. Please tell me there is a way to stop all of this. I can't lose him!"

I hear Igneel sigh. "Look Gray. There is nothing that I know of but I will consult the books and the elders. I refuse to let Natsu be stuck in some weird love spell triangle which was banned many years ago. Sting should not have done the spell. We just need to keep Natsu away from Sting. We can all take it in turns to guard him while he stays here. Ill get him homeschooled and hope that nothing comes of it."

"I would like to help guard him too"

"It may help you being his main guard. But there is no doubt that the magic in him is going to reject you being anywhere near him. You are not going to like it"

"Could the magic ware off in time?"

"Maybe. We have never seen it happen before. It's only been a myth really until now"

"What if Natsu breaks out of it? Will you accept me as Natsu's mate?"

"One step at a time here Gray. We don't know if this will work"

I look to my Mom who hugs me and I snuggle into the warmth. "I knew Gray was a good man"

"So did I Mom" She smiles and nods her head towards the door. "Come on. Let's not count our luck."

We make our way out of the bathroom and see Gray and Igneel on separate sides of the bedroom, both arms folded.

"I heard everything so you don't need to explain everything to me. I would like Gray to do the first watch since he is here and he can help me look through some books" Everyone nods in agreement.

For the rest of the day, we spend our time looking through as many books as we can to find a cure and calling all of my friends to tell them what happened. Naturally everyone is appalled with Sting but they promised to do their own research as well to help us out. As the night rolls on, Gray and I decide to go to bed. Since we can not share a bed (under Igneel's STRICT instructions) I have the bed while Gray sleeps in a chair next to me. Over the day, I have gotten used to Gray's scent again without feeling nauseous as much but he can not touch me still without it hurting. It's killing the both of us being this close but not being able to touch each other but we know it is for the best at the moment.

We both get ourselves ready for bed and get settled

"I hate this" Gray says sighing

"So do I. I just want to cuddle with you tonight"

Gray chuckles "You're very cute when you want to be you know"

I smirk "Shut up ice princess."

"I would say you are more the princess than I am since you are the one that needs saving" We both laugh and I turn in my bed to look at him.

"No matter what. Remember that I still love you"

Gray smiles "I love you too." With that we close our eyes and go to sleep.

Some time in the night I wake up startled. I suddenly feel a new presence in the room but instead of being on edge like I should be, I welcome it. Where is it? What am I sensing? I look over to Gray who is stirring.

"You are okay?" He murmers

I smile at his cuteness "Yeah just heard something. Probably someone getting a drink downstairs or something."

He nods and smiles at me but his eyes widen. "Natsu shut your eyes and cover your ears now!"

"What?" I feel the welcoming presence behind me pulling me towards and I go to look at where Gray is looking but he grabs my face with his hands, the shock from the contact hurting more than ever.

"I'm sorry Natsu but you need to do this"

"Why!"

Before I get a chance to do as he says, I hear a familiar voice that turns my stomach.

"Because I'm here"

On instinct and despite the pain of Gray's hands on me, I turn to look behind me and I see a familiar person behind me. Suddenly everything around me blanks out. I hear Gray's cries in the far distance, his hands on me, everything becomes numb and I don't see anything or hear anyone else but the man in front of me.

"Hello Natsu"

And for the first time since I have ever known him, I leap out of bed and into his embrace, his taut muscles welcoming me and comforting me like no one else has before.

"Sting"

* * *

Hey everyone! I am so sorry for not updating anytime soon! I recently got married so everything has been hectic up until then! Plus you know...general life just got in the way lol

Thank you to everyone who has read this chapter! Once again I know it has been forever since I updated but I will do what I can to update more now there is not as much going on in my life!

Please dont forget to review, PM me, favourite or follow!

mooney-996 xx


	13. Chapter 13

Gray's POV

"Get away from him Natsu!" Natsu kept walking towards Sting until he was in his arms. Like he was always meant to be there. Like he was in love with him. I saw red. There was no way that I was going to stand for this.

"Sting! Let him go!"

Sting smirks at me. "Why would I? I have everything I want now."

"Oh no you don't. Natsu! Get away from Sting. Remember what you said to me last night! You said that you love me! Not him!"

"Oh I wouldn't bother trying to talk to him Gray. He is not listening to anyone but me right now. That's the joy of this spell. He is totally devoted to me. He now loves me and when we do the ritual in a few weeks time, it's permanent! I've won Fullbuster. Just accept it!"

"Never!" With that, I run towards Sting, my magic at the ready to throw an ice punch his way, not caring if it hits Natsu in the process and hopefully break him out of this compulsion to be near Sting.

"Ice-make-"

"Fire Dragon's punch!" I hear before I am thrown back and landed on the opposite wall, a hot glow appearing on my cheek.

Sting sniggers "I wouldn't try getting near to me right now Fullbuster. My little dragon is here to protect me now so people like you can not go near me. It is the rules you know."

My eyes widen as I remember what Natsu had told a while back about mates. "No harm shall come to a dragon or his mate" It is the law. Mates protect each other and make sure that neither are harmed. Shit. I can't get near to him.

"Natsu please you have to listen to me! Remember what you told me. You told me that no matter what you will still love me! Remember that?" I direct to Natsu. I caught his eye slightly twitching as I spoke to him. It was like he was remembering something but something was stopping him.

"Don't listen to him Natsu. He is no one of importance. He just wants to get in-between us." He said caressing his face.

"I said get your hands off him Sting!"

"Sorry no can do. He is my thing now, not yours."

"He is not a thing! He is a person!"

Sting smirks "For now. He is mine to do as I wish. He is my mate. I got there first and now you get to spend the rest of your life with someone you are not forced to love. Isn't that what you've been saying right?"

I gasp. "How did you-"

"I heard you talking to Natsu when you first confessed. It was sweet I must say but I knew from then that I needed to make my move and have Natsu all to myself no matter what, and anyway, you are now free to live your life as you so wish. No more forced love. Dragon slayers are meant to be with their own kind anyway. Nothing that a human like you would understand"

I grit my teeth and balled my hands into fists as Sting turns his back to me, getting ready to climb out of the window. I wait for Sting to almost be out of the window and I grab Natsu who was about to follow Sting. Nothing ever said about me touching Natsu. I spin him around and lock eyes with him, hoping more than anything that I could get through to him.

"Natsu. Please. This is not you. You told me that you love me. You have for years and I love you. More than anything in this world. Please look into yourself and know who you really are inside. You don't love Sting. You never have. You didn't like it when Sting was around me remember? Because I am YOUR mate! You are mine and I am yours! Forever!" I saw Natsu slightly twitch as recognition. A glimmer of hope rose in me as his body started to twitch as if to make a move towards me. His hand started to rise slowly towards me before Sting immediately shut him down by placing a hand on his shoulder. Natsu looked at Sting who shook his head and returned his gaze to me.

"Sorry Gray. We must be going. We have a busy few weeks to prepare for." He jumped up onto the window ledge. "Natsu." He called. Natsu had returned to staring at me and I broke down inside at the sadness in his eyes. As much as I wanted it to be, this was not a fight I could win unless Natsu mentally broke down the barrier himself. I could only encourage him.

"Natsu" I said holding my hands out to him. "Please. Don't leave me. You promised you would never leave me" My lip trembled as I tried to fight back the tears. For a moment I looked right into Natsu's eyes and saw…nothing. There was nothing there that I could cling onto. No emotion, no fire, nothing…..

"Natsu! Ignore him and come here! It's time for us to go home!" I heard Sting say, breaking our eye contact.

As Natsu had turned to walk away, I had decided that law or no law. I have had enough. So I ran towards him, arms out to grab him, hoping the physical contact could knock Natsu into his senses.

The next thing I saw was a flash of white…

Then everything went to black.

* * *

Hey guys!

Hope you liked this chapter. I know it is a little short but I hope you like it anyways!

Im trying to find when I am free to write and update but that has now become quite limited so the updates will be take a while. I will hopefully eventually finish this story in maybe a few more chapters (probably 5/6 max)

Thank you again for reading and reviewing this story!

mooney-996


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